


Sight

by NerdsbianHokie



Series: Senses [1]
Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: AU, Blind AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-07
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-31 18:02:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1034722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/pseuds/NerdsbianHokie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've never debronzed anyone before, so they weren't expecting the side effects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She had gone from feeling absolutely nothing to feeling nothing but pain in less than a day.  She wasn’t entirely sure what had happened.  She had no idea where she was, and had no way of figuring it out.

All she knew was she was sitting on the side of a road, forced to keep her eyes closed and painfully aware of every movement against her skin.

If she dared to open her eyes light would flood in, painfully.  Every time she tried, she could only withstand seconds before it overwhelmed her and she closed them again. Not that it completely eased the pain; even the light visible through her eyelids was nearly too much to bear.

It wasn’t just her eyes that had been over sensitized.  It felt as though her entire body had been.

She could feel every single rock beneath her.  She could feel the light wind pressing her clothes into her skin.  She could feel the sunburn on the back of her neck intensifying.  Even the pressure of her own elbows pressed into her legs was uncomfortable.

She flinched when a bug landed on her arm.  She could feel it moving around, even through her shirt.  Each step it took reverberated through her skin.  She moved to swat it away, only to feel the sharp pain of a stinger.  She let out a cry, and slapped the insect.  Its body crushed between her hand and arm.  Her arm ached from the impact.

She wiped the residue off of her palm, then pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  She let her head fall onto her knees, and tried to hold back the tears.

Nothing had been the way she had thought it would be after being debronzed.  First, it had obviously not been Warehouse approved, meaning the Regents had still had no plans to release her.  Then, the man had the gall to expect her to instantly bend to his whim.

She could have handled it had those been the only annoyances.  Instead, everything turned out to be much worse.

The man had removed the cloth that had covered her head, and she had instantly cried out in pain.  Tears had sprung to her eyes as she doubled over, trying to hide from the light.

The man had been disgruntled when she had voiced her concerns, but had agreed to stay at a hotel not far from the airport in the hopes that it would not be quite so bad the next day.

She had spent the entire night sitting on an uncomfortable bed with her eyes closed and covered with blankets.  She had been hyperaware of every noise, every scent, every movement around her.  The man had tried to start conversations, but she shut him down each time.  Her senses were already overloading, she didn’t need to add anything else.

When morning had come, she had not slept at all, and nothing had improved.

The man, obviously frustrated, had grabbed her forearm, and pulled her to his side.  He had held her uncomfortably tight as he moved them through the hotel and to the automobile they had ridden in the previous day.

She had curled up in her seat, trying to hide from the light, until the movement had stopped.

Moments later, she had found herself collapsed on the ground after the man pulled her from the automobile.

It hadn’t taken long for her to figure out that the man had left her.  Left her to die.

“I still can’t believe HG Wells is a woman,” Pete said, again.

“I still can’t believe you pulled the mustache off of that guy,” Myka groaned.  Her head rested against the window.  The past few days had been hard on all of them, and all she wanted was to sleep.

Myka zoned out Pete’s reply as the thing that she had assumed was a bush on the side of the road became clear.

“Pete, it that what I think it is?” she asked.

“If you think it’s a person, I think so.”

He slowed the car down, and stopped a few feet away from the person; a woman, if the long hair meant anything.  She had pulled her knees to her chest, and hidden her face.

They both climbed out of the car, and slowly approached her.

“Excuse us,” Myka said.

The woman jumped slightly and her head shot up.  Her eyes opened for a moment, then slammed shut again.  She let her head fall forward slightly, her hair hiding her face.  Her entire body was tense.

Myka crouched in front of her.  The woman seemed to sense her presence and leaned away from her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Myka softly told her.  “Do you need help?”

The woman just sat for a moment, then her voice spilled out from behind her hair.

“I’m afraid I have no idea where I am.”

The voice was slow, but strong and thick with an English accent.  Myka glanced back at Pete, who already had his hand on the Tesla.

“Can you tell us your name?”

The woman tilted her head slightly in Myka’s direction.  Her hair parted slightly, letting Myka see her profile.

“Helena,” she said.  “Helena Wells.”

Myka heard Pete pull the Tesla from its holster.  The woman must have as well; she tensed up even more.

“You’re HG Wells,” Myka stated more than asked.

HG’s head briefly shot up again.  Myka caught the black in her eyes before they closed.  She caught the pain on her face before it was hidden behind her hair again.

“Where’s MacPherson?” Pete demanded, stepping closer to them with the Tesla held out.

“Not now, Pete,” Myka told him before HG could answer.  She kept her eyes on the woman in front of her.

“What do you mean, not now?  We have to find him.”

“We will, but it will have to wait.  Call Artie, tell him we found her and are taking her to Leena’s.”

“What?”

She turned to face him.  “She’s in pain, Pete.  Just call Artie.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll call Artie.”

She started to turn back to HG, but thought of something.

“Ask him to call the Warehouse doctor.”

“We have a doctor?”

“Pete!”

“All right, calling Artie.”

Myka rolled her eyes as she turned back to HG.

“Can you move?  We need to get you into the car.”

She could see the hesitation on HG’s face through a gap in her hair.

“We aren’t going to hurt you.”

“Just return me to the bronze sector.”

Myka paused.  There almost seemed to be fear in HG’s voice.

“I can’t let you die out here.”

HG tilted her head slightly in Myka’s direction.  She nodded after a moment.  Myka reached out and laid a hand on her arm to help her up, but she was shrugged away.

HG slowly pushed herself to her feet, only to stumble slightly.  Myka leapt forward to help steady her.  The woman flinched at the contact, and Myka quickly withdrew her hands.

She silently took in the woman before her.  HG kept her head down, her hair continuing to hide her face.  Her body seemed to shake slightly, and her breaths were ragged.  She didn’t seem to be visibly hurt, however.

“Let me at least help you to the car.”

The nod was minute, but Myka caught it.

“I’m going to take your hand and put my other hand on your shoulder, okay?”

This nod was more noticeable.  Myka lightly wrapped her fingers around HGs, and rested the other on her shoulder.  She flinched slightly, but Myka didn’t remove her hands.

“It’s not far, just a few meters.”

Myka slowly took her first step.  HG quickly copied.  It didn’t take long for them to find a steady pace.

“Artie said the doctor will be here as soon as possible, and to not take an eye off of her,” Pete said when he walked up.  The women were just over halfway to the car.  Myka felt HG flinch slightly at Pete’s voice, but there was no other reaction.

“Go start the car.  I’m going to sit with her in the back,” Myka told him.  Pete cast a sideways glance at HG, then took off towards the car.

Before too long, they were driving down the road.  None of them talked, and Pete didn’t turn the radio on.  Myka was closely watching HG.  Pete kept glance back in the rearview mirror.

They were about ten minutes from the B&B when Myka broke the silence.

“Can you tell us how you’re hurt?”

Once again, HG’s head tilted in her direction, as if letting her know she had been heard.

“If you tell us,” Myka continued.  “We can let the doctor know before she gets here, and can start to think about it.”

“Side effects,” HG said after a moment.  “From being bronzed so long, I would assume.”

Myka watched her for a second and thought about every reaction she had had.  “Your pupils haven’t dilated yet, and your skin is ultra-sensitive.”

HG nodded slightly.  Myka let her eyes linger on the woman for a moment, then looked up at Pete, who was watching them in the mirror.

“Toss me the Farnsworth,” she said.  Pete reached over to grab the device from the passenger’s seat, then passed it back to her.

Myka spent the rest of the trip talking to Artie, who was with Claudia on a plane.  Before hanging up, he promised to call the doctor, a Vanessa Calder, and tell her what the problem seemed to be.

Leena was waiting for them outside the B&B.  When she saw HG being led by Myka, a flash of pain crossed her face.

“Artie called and told me what’s going on,” she told them when they reached the stairs.  “You can put her on the couch.”

“Actually, Leena,” Myka said, “I was thinking of piling some pillows and blankets in the downstairs half bath and setting her up there.”

Helena sat in a hallway with her back a few inches off of a wall.  She could feel the agents’ moving as they gathered what seemed to be every extra pillow in the building.

She had nearly balked at Myka’s, as she had learnt the woman’s name was, suggestion.  After hearing her reasons, however, she could see how keeping her in the restroom did make sense.

_“We need to get her somewhere dark, somewhere with no light at all.  That bathroom doesn’t have a window.  If we keep the light off, and turn the hall light off, there will be no light in there.”_

There had been no arguments against the idea, so Myka had sat her in the hallway and told her that they would gather everything as quickly as they could.  She had tried to lean against the wall, but the pressure had quickly become too much.

She felt Myka crouch next to her before the agent had said a word.

“It’s ready.”

She nodded, and allowed the other woman to help her stand.  She had rebuffed the help earlier, but could feel her legs growing more and more exhausted and did not fully trust them to carry her.  From the miniscule distance Myka kept between them, the agent had obviously noticed as well.

Myka guided her into the restroom and sat her on the collection the agents had gathered.  Helena nearly moaned.  There was no painful pressure, no hard points, nothing.

A moment later, even more relief arrived when the door was closed.  She was thrown into near darkness.  The pain in her eyes lessened.  Only the light streaming from beneath the door prevented her from opening them.

She curled up on the pillows, facing away from the light.  She could hear the agents’ discus something through the door, but couldn’t pay attention as sleep finally took her.

“I just don’t understand why you want to sit in there with her.”

“She’s scared, Pete.  You didn’t see it.  I barely saw it, but it’s there.  She’s scared, and she’s in pain.  We shouldn’t leave her alone.”

“So you go sit in the dark with her?”

Myka glanced at the bathroom door.  “If we leave the hall light on, I’ll be able to see somewhat.  Okay?”

“Fine,” Pete grumbled.

Myka moved to the door and cracked it open.  She peaked inside and couldn’t help but smile.

“What?” Pete questioned.

“She’s asleep,” Myka told him, but keeping her eyes on the woman in the bathroom to ensure they didn’t wake her.

“So there’s no need to sit in there.”

“I can’t let her wake up alone.”

“Why not?”

“Because she has been alone in the dark for the past century, and I will not let her go through that anymore.”

“They are going to bronze her again, Myka.”

Myka looked at him, an odd expression in her eyes.  “Then I can be there for her until then.”

Pete grimaced slightly, but nodded.  Myka slipped into the bathroom, and closed herself in the darkness.

She could just make out the sleeping form on the pillows through the light coming from under the door.  She sat back against the door, and pulled her phone out, finally glad that Claudia had uploaded some eBooks.

She was almost halfway through some revamped Cinderella story Claudia had suggested when someone knocked on the door.  She stood up, her muscles protesting after being still for so long.  She cracked the door open to see Claudia on the other side.

“I’ve come to relieve you for a bit,” the red head whispered.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I got sleep on the plane.  Go catch a few winks.”

Myka glanced behind her quickly, her eyes lingering on the woman, then nodded, and let Claudia slip past her to take her place.

“Come get me if she wakes up,” she ordered Claudia, who nodded and closed the door.

 Myka meandered to her room, changed into some pajamas, and was asleep as soon as she climbed onto the mattress.


	2. Chapter 2

She laid in her bliss, enjoying the lack of pain and discomfort from her eyes or skin.  With those absent, however, the pain in her stomach had come forward.  She thought back, and realized that she had yet to eat since being debronzed.

She slowly opened her eyes.  She didn’t have to close them instantly, but she could still only see light.

A soft noise sounded from behind her.  She turned over, and caught sight of a shadow in the light before she had to close her eyes.

“You’re awake.”  The light vanished.  “Sorry, I had the door cracked to read.”

She couldn’t help but smile at Myka, even if the woman could most likely not see it.

“It’s perfectly alright, darling.  I can never condemn one for taking the opportunity to read.  Would it be too presumptuous to inquire as to what you are reading?”

“Just rereading something that came out after your time, I’ll tell you all about it later.  You sound better.”  She could practically hear the smile in Myka’s voice and wondered what it looked like.  It must be beautiful, she decided, in order to belong to such a woman.  Beautiful, large, and sincere.“I feel much better.  It is amazing what a decent sleep will do for a person.  I would not, however, turn down an offer for food.”

“Well, you  _were_  out for fourteen hours...”

“Was I really asleep for that long?” Helena cut her off.

“Yeah.  The doctor’s here, if you want me to go tell her you’re awake, then we can bring some food up after she’s finished with her exam.”

“That would probably be the best course of action.”

“Okay.  I’ll be right back.”

The light returned for a moment, then vanished, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

All of which were on the woman who had essentially saved her.

Myka had had no reason to help her.  In fact, the agent would have been within her right to return her to the Bronze Sector and never think of her again.  Instead Myka had ensured that she was taken care of and comfortable.  She had not received that much kindness since well before she was bronzed.

The doctor must have been waiting nearby because it wasn’t long before she could hear voices approaching the door.  Myka knocked on the door, and told Helena that they were coming in in order to give her enough time to cover her eyes.

Doctor Vanessa was kind, and her touch gentle.  Helena, however, couldn’t help but resent her slightly when her exam required the use of light in order to check her pupils.

Fortunately, the exam didn’t take long, and Helena was soon back to sitting in the dark with Myka.

One of the other agents had brought some bread and water up for her.  The doctor had insisted on light meals, in order to aide her body in returning to a regular meal schedule.  

They sat in silence for a while before Helena’s thoughts became too much to keep inside.

“Why?” she simply asked.  She hated how uncertain the world sounded as it slipped from her mouth.

-oOo-

Myka was slightly startled as Helena’s voice cut through the darkness, but was more surprised by the tone that rang in the word.

“Why what?” she replied.

Helena took a deep breath in the darkness.  “Why are you doing all of this?  The Warehouse has classified me as a threat, yet you treat me with a kindness the others do not.  You have ensured my comfort where your colleagues would have left me to suffer.  Why?”

Myka thought for a moment before answering.  “I’m not sure.  You were in so much pain when we found you, but obviously weren’t going to ask for help.”

“So, you took pity on me.”

Myka could hear the distaste in the voice, and couldn’t help but smile.

“If I hadn’t, you would probably either be bronze again, or in an interrogation room so bright it would hurt my eyes.”

“And I do thank you for it.”

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Myka speaks again.

“There’s no shame is asking for help, you know.  It doesn’t make you weak.”

Someone knocked on the door before Helena could answer.  “I’m coming in,” Vanessa said, then gave Helena enough time to cover her eyes before opening the door just enough for her to slide inside.

Myka blinked against the uncomfortable brightness.  She turned to Helena, whose face was screwed in pain, despite having her eyes covered.  She hoped whatever the doctor had would work.

Vanessa left the door open enough to allow her to see her patient.  She stepped over Myka, and crouched in front of Helena.

“The Regents have reached their decision,” she started.  Both women clung to her words.  “They are not going to re-bronze you, but you will remain in Warehouse custody.”

Helena nodded, the relief evident on her face.

“Claudia searched the Warehouse for an artifact that might help you,” Vanessa continued as she pulled a neutralizer bag and gloves out.  She opened the bag and pulled a strip of leather out.  “This wrist band belonged to Louis Braille.  The agents who recovered it believed that he wore it while creating his alphabet, causing whoever wears it to perfectly understand it.  However, it also causes the wearing to become blind, which is why it might be beneficial for you.”

“Blind?  I will never see again?”

“I’m not sure.  You will have to keep the wristband on during everyday life, but I will be checking your eyes regularly.  I must warn you, however, when you put it on, you will briefly feel the pain he felt upon losing his sight, and will not be able to take it off until the pain is gone.”

Helena’s head bowed, then she nodded.  “Anything is better than the pain I am in currently.”

“Okay.  I need your arm,” Vanessa said.

Helena slowly lifted her arm up, and allowed the doctor to tie the leather around her wrist.  They all held their breath as they waited for the artifact to activate.  Nothing happened for a few moments, then Helena let out a cry and her torso pitched forward.  Her hands clamped over her eyes.

Myka moved towards her, but Vanessa held a hand out to stop her.

“It will be over soon.”

Myka watched with wide eyes as the pain attacked Helena.  Something about seeing the woman hurt caused pain in herself.  After a few excruciatingly long minutes, Helena’s body relaxed.  She straightened her torso, but kept her hands over her eyes.

“Helena?” Myka slowly asked.

Helena dropped her hands and looked in Myka’s direction with wide eyes.  Her pupils were completely gone.

-oOo-

It was gone.  The pain was just gone.

Her eyes had been burning.  As if something had ripped them apart then set them on fire.

Then it had stopped.  No lingering ache.  No ghost pain.  Even the pain in her eyes from before was gone.

Of course, the addition of the wristband was already aggravating the nerves it was sitting on, but she was willing to make the sacrifice.

Myka called her name in a shaky voice, and Helena looked in her direction.  Her eyes widened as she realized that she had to be looking directly into the light, but only saw black.

“Can you see the light?” Vanessa asked.

“No.”

“How about now?”

The door squeaked, and Helena flinched back, ready for the light.  There was none, however, and her body relaxed again.

“Still nothing.”

“Good, that means it worked.”

“There’s no pain?” Myka questioned.

“Not in my eyes.”

“Good.  That’s…that’s good.”  She could hear the smile in Myka’s voice, and smiled back.

“It is,” Vanessa said.  “I’m going to tell the others that it worked.  Myka how about you…”

“I’ll show you the room Leena prepared for you,” Myka addressed Helena.

“That sounds wonderful.”

She let her old façade fall back into place, let them think she was strong.  It broke again when Vanessa rested a hand a little too heavily on her shoulder.  Helena jumped back in surprise.  Her back hit the wall, and pain was back.

Her body crumpled into the pillows, and curled into itself.  She vaguely heard Myka and Vanessa talking to her, but the pain was louder than they were.

She had no idea how long she was held beneath the pain.  She just knew that eventually, she could hear voices from the other side of the door.  She focused on the voices, the tone and pitch more than the word, and used them to guide her out of the pain.

She slowly became aware that the voices were arguing with each other.  Before she could distinguish specific words, however, the voices stopped, and someone walked into the bathroom.

“You feeling better?”  Myka asked.

“It doesn’t hurt as much.”

Myka sighed, and Helena imagined she ran her hand through her hair.  Which lead to the question of what type of hair the agent had.  Was it long or short?  What color was it?  What texture?

“Do you feel well enough to move to your room?”

Myka’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, then her question threw her into contemplation.

“I do not believe it would be worth waiting until I fully feel up to the trip.”

“Are you sure?”

“It took fourteen hours of sleep to reach how I had felt.  I do not wish to remain in the bathing room that much longer.”

Myka laughed.  “That’s understandable.”

“So, do you have any plans on how to move me to my room?”

“The first, and probably hardest, part will be getting you to your feet, but after that I was thinking you could hold onto me, and I will lead you.”

“Well, best get to it then.”

 “Okay, let’s try this.”

There was silence for a few moments, then the blanket next to Helena’s hand indented.  Slowly, she moved her hand over, to find what must have been Myka’s hand.  She slid her fingers up the hand, and wrapped them around Myka’s wrist.

“Use as much pressure as you can stand,” Myka told her.  Helena nodded, and started to tighten her grip.  It wasn’t long before it became uncomfortable, and a little longer until she could feel the edge of pain begin to move in.

“I’m going to wrap my other arm around your shoulders, to help you balance.”

Helena nodded.  She felt Myka’s hand start to lightly brush against her side.  The thin arm pressed into her back.

“You ready?”

“Would you like a truthful answer?”

Myka chuckled.  “Okay, on the count of three try to stand up.  I’ll help you balance.”

Helena worked up her nerve as Myka counted.  When she hit three, Helena gritted her teeth and pushed herself up.

She held back her cries as Myka’s grip around her tightened in an effort to keep her steady.  Her fingers tightened around Myka’s wrist.  Her breathing was heavy by the time she was upright.

“Do you need a minute?” Myka asked.

“No, I will be quite all right, darling.”

“Okay.  Then I’m going to slowly lead you up the stairs and to your room.  You ready?”

Helena nodded and they started their slow walk through the B&B.

At first, Helena tried to remember the path they took.  A left after the door.  Six steps down the hallway.  Muffle voices sounded as they turned again.  Helena figured the rest of the agents must have been sitting in a nearby room.

She lost track of their movements while going up the stairs.  The pain pulled her concentration from the task her mind was working on, and moved it to focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.  Her grip on Myka’s wrist constantly fluctuated in an attempt to find a balance between anchoring her and bringing too much pain.

When they finally reached her room, she fell asleep the instant Myka helped her lay down.

-oOo-

“She’s asleep again,” Myka said as she walked into the living room.  “The walk up really took it out of her.”

“It didn’t seem as bad when you brought her in from the car,” Pete commented.

“There may be a chance that losing her sight entirely is making her body turn its efforts elsewhere,” Vanessa explained.  “It may have sensitized her nerves even more.  I will have to perform some tests on it tomorrow.”

“Do you think the sensitivity will go down?” Myka asked her.

“I believe it has a better chance than her sight improving.”

“I’m going back to the Warehouse,” Artie announced.  “You,” he said to Myka, “keep an eye on her.  Don’t forget, you’re responsible for her.”

Myka nodded as he left.


	3. Chapter 3

When Helena woke up, her skin was screaming at her.  She could feel every fold of her clothes, every place where the cloth pressed into her.  She tried to curl in on herself, but moving only increased the pain.

She slowly moved her arm.  Her fingers were spread as she ran them across the sheets, hoping to find anything that could help.  She flinched slightly when they hit another hand.

“Hey,” Myka’s voice washed over her.  “How bad’s the pain?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Kind of, and Doctor Calder said that by taking your sight away there is a chance your nerves will be even more sensitive for a while.”

“That information would have been nice to know before allowing the use of the artifact.”

“Sorry.”  She could hear the apology not just in the word, but in the way Myka said it.

“I don’t blame you, darling.”

There was a pause, and Helena could only imagine what Myka was doing.  Had she turned away with a smile?  Was she just staring at her?

“Do you think you’ll be able to sit up?”

Helena didn’t respond.  She clenched her jaw, and forced herself into a sitting position.  The way her shirt stretched out, removing the creases along her back, gave her some relief, but it was negated by her trousers bunching up.

She took a few deep breaths.  “Apparently, I am able to.”

Myka let out a small laugh.

“I have some pills for you, to help with the pain.”

“That would be wonderful,” Helena responded.  She held her hand out, and Myka dropped the small capsules into it.  She tossed them into her mouth and swallowed them dry.  She instantly regretted it, however, as they grated against her throat.

“Water?” Myka questioned with a hint of amusement.

“Please.”

A glass was pressed into her hand.  She brought it to her lips and swallowed as much as possible.  She mentally groaned when she felt some of it fall to her shirt.

“It’s okay,” Myka told her.  “It’s going to take some time getting used to being blind.”

“It would still be nice to be able to perform such mundane tasks without an issue.”

“You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

Helena’s response was cut off by a blaring noise.  She jumped slightly.

“It’s just my Farnsworth,” Myka told her.  Metal clinked and Myka spoke before Helena could ask what a Farnsworth was.  “Yeah?”

“ _Is she up yet?”_ Vanessa’s voice sounded.

Helena blinked.  At first, she thought that Vanessa had been in the room without her knowledge.  Then she took in how the doctor’s voice sounded, and realized that the Farnsworth must have been some sort of communication device.

“She is.”

_“I’ll be right up.”_

There was another metallic sound.

“We figured you would want to get out of those clothes, so Doctor Calders’ coming up to help you while I run to the Warehouse to get something.”

“Perhaps you could help me instead.”

She hadn’t exactly meant for the seduction to slip into her voice, she truly had wished for Myka to stay.  She felt safer with the agent around.  When Myka started to splutter slightly, however, she couldn’t regret the tone, and smiled slightly.

“I’m just teasing, darling,” she said.  “I am sure whatever you must do at the Warehouse is important.”

“Ummm, yeah.  It is,” Myka murmured.

A soft knock came from the door, and it opened.

“Are you ready, Helena?” Vanessa asked.

“I suppose so,” Helena replied.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Myka said.  The door closed, and an odd feeling settled in Helena.  The last time she had consciously been alone with someone other than Myka, MacPherson had left her on the side of the road.

“You’re safe here,” Vanessa told her, obviously noticing her distress.

Helena nodded.  “Yes, I do believe I am.”

-oOo-

“Hey, Pete,” Myka said after walking into the office, her arms full of books.

“Yeah?”  He looked up from the files he was going through.

“Do you have any vibes about Helena?”

He thought for a moment, then answered.  “Yeah, but I can’t really explain them.  They aren’t bad, but they’re not good. They’re just there.”

“Okay, what does that mean?”

“I don’t know, Myka.  It could be because she was bronzed and interacted with MacPherson, or it could be something else.  I don’t know.”

Myka stared at him.  His tone was serious, and his voice slightly strained.

“What wrong?”

“You mean beyond still not knowing where MacPherson is? And having a blind Victorian psycho in the house?”

“Pete.”

“I just I don’t like these vibes, Mykes.  I can normally tell something about my vibes, but I’m getting nothing from these.”

“Everything will work out.  We’ll find MacPherson, and figure out something with Helena.”

“Yeah,” he sighed.  He eyes the books she was carrying.  “For her?”

“Huh?  Oh, yeah.  All in Braille.  I figured she would need something to do with her time.”

“Right,” he mumbled.

She held back a groan.  “She’s here, Pete.  The Regents aren’t bronzing her again, so she’s going to be here a while.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like her.”

“If I remember correctly, we didn’t like each other when we first met.”

Pete smiled.  “Yeah.”  The smile faded.  “But, there’s a reason they bronzed her in the first place, and there’s a reason it isn’t documented.”

“And we’ll ask her, once she’s recovered.”

“How recovered?”

“Once she can walk up the stairs on her own without passing out.”

Pete took a deep breath.  “Right.  You should probably go get those to her.”

-oOo-

It felt good to be clean.  It felt even better to be out of the clothes she had been wearing for over a century.

Once Myka had left, Vanessa had suggested a bath, an offer Helena had instantly agreed to.

She had spent most of the regrettably short bath simply soaking in the water, but Vanessa had ensured that she had also cleaned herself.

After returning to the bed in a pair of soft, large trousers, and some sort of sleeveless shirt, she realized exactly how uncomfortable she had become.  The bath had removed dirt that had gotten beneath her old clothes, and the new attire lay lightly on her skin, leaving little aggravation.

She sat in silence, just reflecting, when someone knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

The door opened.

“Hey,” Myka said.  “I got something for you.”

“Did you?  There was no need for you to do anything more than what you have already done.”

“I think you’ll like this.”

Something was placed on the bed.  Helena reached out and picked it up.

“Books?” Helena questioned as she turned the object in her hands.  Her fingers suddenly passed over a series of dots.  Her eyes grew wide as the pattern made sense to her mind.  “Braille.”

“Yeah, I got them from the Warehouse library.  I figured you would need something to do with your time, and you do have a hundred years of literature to catch up on.  A hundred years of everything, really, but you have to start somewhere.”

“I do have some time to make up for, don’t I?”

Myka laughed lightly.  “I figured it would be easiest if you start with soon after you were…you know, and go forward from there.”

“It’s brilliant, darling.  Thank you ever so much.”

Her fingers ran over the title again.

“ _The Return of Sherlock Holmes?_ ”

“Published 1905.”

“But Arthur killed Holmes in  _The Final Problem_ in ’83.  I know the fans revolted, but he swore to never return to the series.”

“Well, read it and find out.  I do have a few others, if you would rather read something else.”

“What else do you have?”

“ _The Jungle_ by Upton Sinclare, released in 1906.   _Red Star_  by Alexander Bogdanov in 1908.  And  _The Phantom of the Opera_ published in 1909 by Gaston Leroux.”

“I look forward to reading them.”

-oOo-

“Hey,” Myka said as she walked into Helena’s room just over a week later.  Helena stalled the hand on the page she was reading and grinned, from both the presence of the woman and the smile obvious from her tone.

“You’re excited about something,” Helena said.

“I may have found something major at the Warehouse today,” Myka replied.  “Something that might interest you.”

“Do you plan on filling me in at any point?”

Myka laughed lightly, and Helena felt her place something on her bed.  She leant over and picked it up.

“It’s another book,” she stated.

“Read the title.”

Helena raised an eyebrow and ran her fingers over the cover until she found the words.

“ _The Collected Works of HG Wells_?”

Myka didn’t respond.  Helena imagined she was watching her with excitement and anticipation.

She briefly wondered how Myka displayed those emotions.  How did she hold her hands?  Were they crossed in front of her?  Was she ringing them?  What was her facial expression?  Was her smile wide?  Was she biting a lip?

Helena pushed the thoughts down, and opened the book.  She flipped through the first few pages, until she found the table of contents.

“He continued to write,” she mused.

“He?” Myka questioned.

“Charles, my brother.  He actually wrote most of the books.  Outside of a few short stories, I simply provided the ideas, research, and a few choice passages.  I have always been able to create characters, worlds, and situations, but, sadly, have never been apt at completing a plot.”

“Then why are they written under your name?”

“I’m not sure, they were originally published under his name.  He must have changed it sometime after I was bronzed.”

“So you really are  _the_ HG Wells.”

“Are you a fan?”

Myka didn’t respond right away.  Helena grinned at her and figured she must have been blushing.

“I may have read everything he…you…Charles wrote.”

“Is that a fact?  Well, darling, please tell me about your opinions on the works.”


	4. Chapter 4

The Regent’s wanted Helena under constant supervision, so at least one of the agents had to stay with her during the waking hours.  Artie delegated that task to Myka as often as possible; sticking with his statement that Myka was responsible for her.  So, Myka spent her days not on a mission going through paperwork and cold files at the B&B while Helena attempted to read her way through the 20th century.

A routine formed in their days together.

Myka completed her work as quickly as possible, typically finishing around noon.  She would get their lunch from Leena, then join Helena in her room.

Helena, much to her chagrin, was bed ridden on Vanessa’s orders.  Not that she really complained about it; she could barely last an hour in a hard backed chair.

Still, the best time of each day was when Myka would sit on the end of her bed, and they would talk.  They started by talking about whatever Helena was reading, then it would turn to Myka telling her about historical events she had missed.  Before long, however, they simply just talked.

Their words twisted around each other.  They delved deep, learning the nuances of each other’s mind.  Their conversations lasted well after the others would return from the Warehouse, and it became common for someone to have to bring their dinner up before it got too cold.

Myka wasn’t the only one she grew closer to.

She, almost willingly, found a caretaker in Leena.  The innkeeper stepped up whenever Myka was on a retrieval, ensuring her comfort and keeping the agent left in charge from prying too much.  It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that Leena had been to one to actually release her from the bronze.  She could sense the battle within her, over if she had actually done some good while under MacPherson’s control.

Whenever Claudia was the one left to watch her, they would delve into the world of mechanics and creation.  Claudia became her teacher in all things modern, describing everything from automobiles to the internet.  They formed a bond through their love of technology.

Pete and her found a tense stalemate, centered around, it seemed, Myka.  Helena slowly grew to tolerate his brash humor, as he did her dry wit.

Artie was Artie, and staunchly continued to hate her.

Vanessa, as promised, regularly checked on Helena; visits Helena partially dreaded.  Her vision did not improve, but her nerves slowly started to desensitize.

The amount of time she could lean against the headboard of her bed increased.  Trips to the restroom also became easier, and she was able to make it there and back without exhausting herself.  She was able to read for longer periods of time and her fingers stopped feeling like she had pressed broken glass into them.

After about a month of being bed ridden, and slowly driving everyone crazy due to it, Vanessa started to get her to walk around the room and sit in different positions.  An hour at the desk.  Two or three sitting cross legged at the foot of her bed with no supports.  Then she would curl up with her pillow, and pass out.

Before long, however, even that became easy, and Vanessa, with Myka’s help, continued to push her.

Every visit from Vanessa came with a visit from the Warehouse psychologist, a young woman by the name of Abigail Cho.  Helena would talk with Abigail for at least an hour before Vanessa even saw her.

At first she dodged around the questions, and occasionally managed to turn them back on the doctor.  After a few sessions, however, her trust in Abigail grew, and she began to open up.  No one knew what they talked about, not even Myka.  Helena kept the conversations secret, and Abigail simply told the Regents how Helena was progressing.

Just over three months after Helena had come to the B&B, Vanessa cleared her to move around the B&B, so long as she was with someone and felt up to it.

-oOo-

Helena knew something was wrong with Myka.  She had heard part of the argument she had had with Pete that morning, enough to know they were arguing, but not enough to know why.  Now, the agent was barely paying attention to her paperwork.

As usual since Vanessa had lifted Helena’s room restriction, Myka had helped Helena to the couch in the sitting room, then settled in the arm chair with her work.

She didn’t, however, seem to be getting much work done.  Helena noted a distinct decrease in the sounds of a pen scratching on paper, and paper rustling.

“You’re distracted, darling,” Helena said.

“What?”

“You have hardly gotten any work done all morning.”

“You noticed?”  Her tone was shy.

“Does it have to do with your argument with Peter?”

“You noticed that too,” Myka sighed.

“You can tell me if you wish to talk to someone.”

“Well, it was about you.”

Helena laughed lightly.  “I should have figured.  What about me does he have an issue with?”

“It isn’t you, exactly.  It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I need to ask you something.  I’ve been putting it off, but the others, and myself if I’m completely honest, need to know.”

“Why I was bronzed.”

Myka didn’t respond.

“It’s understandable for you all to feel this way.  The bronzer is typically utilized only under the direst of situations, when no other alternative can be located.  It is not usual to trust one who spent time as its prisoner.”

“We, well, I, trust you.  It’s just, knowing would make it easier.”

“There is no need to explain.  I already said that I understand.”

“Right.  So…”

Helena took a deep breath, and pushed herself into a sitting position.  Just because she understood why they wanted to know, actually telling Myka wasn’t easy.  She had talked to Doctor Cho about it, but Myka was different.  Myka was, well, Myka.  Not even her brilliant mind could come up with the words to describe Myka.

She took another breath.

“It was the lowest point of my life,” she started.  “I had a daughter, Christina.  She was the best thing to happen in my life.  Better than the Warehouse, even.”

She heard papers rustling, and imagined Myka setting her paperwork to the side.

“She was the most delightful child.  Full of life and joy, and as brilliant as her mother.  Then,” she let out a shuddering breath and tears started to fill her eyes, “she was taken from me.  She was in Paris with family, and some men broke into the house.  They weren’t expecting her to be home, and they certainly were not expecting her to put up a fight.”

“Helena,” Myka softly said.  Helena just shook her head, but clung to the support Myka was trying to give her.  Her tears started to slowly roll.

“I went near mad with grief, and I just had to try something.  I scoured the Warehouse, looking for something, anything, that could help.  The Regents were, not so much forgiving as, condoning.  Until, one of my experiments went wrong, and my partner lost his life.”

She heard a soft gasp fall from Myka’s lips.

“The Regents gave me a few options, and I made the decision to be bronzed.  I had hoped, at the time, that someone would debronze me, and I would wake in a utopia.  It was the only thought that helped even numb the pain of losing my Christina.”

-oOo-

Myka quietly watched as Helena curled further into the couch.  Giving her time to compose herself, Myka ran the new information through her head.

It had been grief that had driven Helena to the bronzer.  Grief and pain.

She thought back to what she had felt after losing Sam.  That had been hard enough.  She could see how easy it would be to lose oneself after having to deal with the death of a child.

“I won’t tell them,” she said after a few minutes.  Helena’s head lifted slightly at the words.  “I’ll tell them that you told me, and that it was ultimately your decision, but I won’t tell them what led to it.”

Helena nodded slightly.

“Thank you.”

-oOo-

Helena’s hand stalled when she heard Leena’s voice cry out, followed by a thud.  She tilted her head to one side, listening for any indication that Leena had simply dropped something.

They were currently the only two in the B&B the first time there had not been an agent there since Helena had been brought in nearly five months ago.  Artie still did not want her to be without supervision, but Myka and Claudia had convinced him that they were too far behind on inventory to leave one person behind, and that Leena would be there to watch her.

When she didn’t hear anything else from downstairs, she marked her place in the book, and set it to the side.  She slowly made her way out of her room, through the hall, and down the stairs.

“Leena,” she quietly called out.  It was still possible that Leena had simply dropped something, but it didn’t feel right.  “Leena?”

“She’s at your feet.”

Helena froze at the voice.  She tilted her head in the man’s direction, then knelt down and felt around for Leena.  Her hand found the woman’s hair.  She quickly moved her hand towards Leena’s neck.  Her heart leaping as her fingers skimmed over what could only be blood.  She then let out a sigh of relief when she pressed her fingers into Leena’s throat and felt her pulse

“She would not allow me to see you, so I had to ensure that she would no longer be in the way.  I am terribly sorry,” MacPherson said.

“That was no reason to hurt her,” she replied through clenched teeth.

“I must disagree.  See, you and I have some unfinished business to attend to, and she was nothing but a hindrance.”

“You must be delusional to believe I would assist you, especially after harming someone I consider a friend.”

“You assume you have a choice.”

She bristled at the mirth in the statement.

Leena moved slightly and the pulse beneath Helena’s fingers quickened.  She lightly moved her fingers to rest across Leena’s lips.  Leena nodded minutely.

“Well,” MacPherson continued, “I believe you may have something of a choice.  You can either willingly walk out of here with me, or I kill her and carry your unconscious body out.”

She didn’t move for a few moments.  The choice was obvious; she couldn’t let him hurt Leena any more than he already had.  She moved her hand back to Leena’s neck, and bent closer to her under the guise of checking her breathing.

“Please,” she choked out as quietly as possible.  “Please find me.”

She slowly stood, and turned to face where MacPherson’s voice had come from.

“Any of them.  If I go with you, you cannot hurt any of them.”

He moved silently, so she wasn’t prepared for the hand that clamped around her forearm.  She let out a cry and staggered back.  She would have tripped over Leena if MacPherson’s grip hadn’t been so tight.

“That, I cannot promise.”


	5. Chapter 5

Pete groaned as Myka started to pace.

Again.

“She’s fine,” he told her.  “Leena won’t let anything happen to her.”

“But what if something does happen?  What if she walks into a wall, or cuts herself, or something?  She could really hurt herself, Pete.”

“She’s not a child, Myka.  She’s a hundred-something year old woman.  She’ll be fine.  Besides, you’re the one who convinced Artie that she doesn’t need one of us there.”

Myka nodded, but kept pacing.  Pete put their inventory list down, and walked over to her.  He put his hands on her shoulders to stop her.

“She will be okay.  Stop freaking yourself out, or I will tell her how much you worried, and she will never let you live it down.”

Myka laughed.  “Yeah, okay.”

“Besides, the next artifact on our list is in the cowboy aisle, and I can’t wait to see what we have there; Annie Oakley’s play cards; Buffalo Bill’s hat; ooh, Stagecoach Mary’s bonnet.”

She laughed again as she followed Pete through the stacks.

They had located a few artifacts and were about a third of the way through their list when Pete suddenly froze.  A panicked look crossed his face.

“Pete?” Myka questioned, dread starting to rise in her gut.

“Something’s wrong,” he told her.  “Something’s really wrong.”

She stared at him for a second, then sprinted towards the office.  Pete raced after her a moment later.

Artie was talking on the Farnsworth when they burst through the door.  Claudia was hanging over his shoulder, a look of fear on her face.

“What happened?” Pete questioned.

“MacPherson attacked Leena and took HG,” Claudia told them.

Myka instantly started to sprint again.  Pete followed her, then, a split second later, Claudia did as well.

The car was moving before the doors were closed, and Myka drove faster than she ever had before.  By the time they reached the B&B, Pete and Claudia were blanched and clinging to their seats.

Myka was out of the car before either of them realized that they had stopped.  She jumped up the stairs to the porch, and practically knocked the door down.

“Helena!” she called once she was inside.

It was Leena who responded.  “I’m so sorry, Myka.”

Myka froze momentarily, then moved to Leena, and crouched in front of her.

The innkeeper was sitting against the wall; her leg’s pulled to her chest, her eyes half closed.  Blood had dried on the side of her face, originating from a cut on her forehead.

Myka lightly ran a finger over the injury.  “He did this to you,” she said.  She ignored Pete and Claudia as they walked into the foyer.  She barely noticed when Claudia crouched down next to her.

Leena nodded weakly.  “HG heard, and came down,” she said.  Her was voice small.  “He threatened to kill me if she didn’t go with him.”

“It’s okay,” Claudia said.  “You’re safe now.”  She raised a hand and cupped Leena’s cheek.  She rubbed the blood slightly.

Together, Myka and Claudia helped Leena to her feet then to the couch.  Claudia sat next to Leena and held her close in case her injury was worse than it appeared.  Pete walked into the room with a damp towel.  Claudia took it from him and started to wash the blood off of Leena.

“Did MacPherson say anything about where they were going?” Myka quietly asked.  Claudia sent her a dirty look, but didn’t say anything.  She understood how important the information could be.

Leena shook her head, then winced at the motion.

Claudia shot another look at Myka.

“She’s counting on you to find her,” Leena whispered as more of her weight settled on Claudia.

Myka nodded absently, then sat next to her.  “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said as she lightly hugged Leena.

-oOo-

Two hours later they were back in the Warehouse.  Vanessa, who had been on her way in town anyway to see Helena, had taken over Leena’s care.

Pete and Myka were scouring through their notes on MacPherson.  Artie and Claudia were searching for any sign of him in the system.

The atmosphere in the room grew tenser the longer they worked.  Shoulders rolled occasionally.  Necks creaked whenever moved.  Pete occasionally looked up at Myka, who hadn’t spoken since she had talked to Leena.

“Got it,” Claudia suddenly exclaimed.

“What?” Pete asked.

“Two tickets purchased at the Featherhead airport…” Claudia started.

“To Alexandria, Egypt,” Artie cut in.  “Using one of…”

“MacPherson’s aliases,” Claudia picked up again.

Myka closed the file in front of her, and was opening the door before any of the others reacted.

-oOo-

She felt numb, an odd sensation after months of feeling everything.  At one point, she might have preferred this detachment, but in her current situation, she couldn’t find any positives.

She had no idea where she was, beyond under MacPherson’s control.  She had no idea how long ago they had left the B&B.  She had little control over her own body.  He guided her ever action.

Her only hope was that Myka and the other agents would locate her quickly.

Of course, she wasn’t beyond leaving a few clues for them to follow.

-oOo-

“It was odd,” the girl behind the ticket counter told them.  “Most newlyweds are super on it when it comes to remembering the name change.  That’s why I remember them, she forgot her new name, said they were the Prendicks.”

Pete noticed the recognition that flashed across Myka’s face as the girl laughed at the name.

“If I grew up with a name like that,” the girl continued, “I would be sure to remember my new one.”

“I’m sure most of us would,” Pete said with a fake smile.  “Can you give us their flight information?”

The girl nodded and hit a few keys on her computer.

-oOo-

Whatever drugs MacPherson had given her started to wear off before the plane landed.  She curled up in her seat as the changing air pressure surged in on her.  Her skin protested and her head started to pulse.

She managed to hold the pain in, however.  Until the plane landed, unexpectedly to her, and her side hit her arm rest.  A whimper escaped her lips.

-oOo-

“He has an apartment in the city,” Claudia commented, reading from her laptop screen as they waited to board their plane.  “It’s under the same name he used to get the tickets.”

“So he won’t be going there,” Myka said.  “He knows we’re after him.  He won’t make it that easy.”

“But it’s a place to start looking,” Pete told her.

Myka nodded.  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close.  She rested her head on his shoulder.

“We’ll find her,” he said.

Artie walked up to them.  “I’m staying here,” he announced.

“What, why?” Pete questioned.

“Something is wrong with Mrs. Fredric.  She’s at the inn with Leena and Doctor Calder, but the doctor wants to get her to the Warehouse.”

“Do you have any idea of what’s up with Mrs. F?” Claudia asked.

“We’re not sure, but we think it has to do with the lost Warehouse.”

Myka lifted her head off of Pete’s shoulder.  “Warehouse 2?”

Artie nodded.

“Helena researched everything she could about Warehouse 2 in her own time,” she told them.  “That must be why MacPherson wants her.  Do you think he found it?”

“We aren’t sure, but an expert on Warehouse 2 will be waiting for you when you land.”

-oOo-

Her scalp exploded as MacPherson grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back.  Sunlight poured into her eyes.

She let out a strangled cry.  Her body grew limp, and threatened to give up, but he pressed the artifact against her temple.

The actual pain lessened just enough to avoid passing out, but the memory of it was still there.

“So this is the great HG Wells,” MacPherson growled in her ear.  “This is the woman agents of the past regaled as fearless and unbeatable.”

He threw her forward into the sand.  With her hands bound behind her back, she had no way to catch herself.  The particles tore into her skin, and she once again neared unconsciousness.

The artifact was pressed to her skin, then another was slipped around her wrist.

For a few minutes, she knew nothing but pain, then it released its hold on her.  Her vision was once again black thanks to Braille’s wristband, but her skin was screaming even louder.

“All I see is a woman broken by time,” MacPherson sneered.

“Then let me be,” she gasped out.  “I am of no use to you.”

“But your mind it.  I need the information.”

He grabbed the bind holding her arms together and lifted her up.  She cried out through her gritted teeth as her shoulders threatened to dislocate.

“Tell me what information you found on Warehouse 2.”

“You have already utilized all of the knowledge I had.”

“You expect me to believe that you wrote everything down?  That you documented every single piece of information you found?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must believe me to be a fool.”  His fingers grasped at her wrist and once again removed the leather.

-oOo-

They were all slightly distracted as they walked through the airport in Alexandria.  Artie had called them while one the plane to tell them that Mrs. Fredric wasn’t any worse, but wasn’t better either.  The only way to help her was to find Warehouse 2.

For that, they needed to find the expert.

Every person they passed was silently inspected for any clue that they could be the expert.

“Agents Bering, Lattimer, Ms. Donovan.”

They turned around when the voice spoke from behind them.  A man in a tan jacket and hat was watching them.

“You’re the expert?” Pete asked.

“Indeed,” the man said with a nod.  “Regent Valda.  Now, tell me what you know.”

-oOo-

The boy’s screams still rang in Helena’s ears.

MacPherson had taken him away briefly, then brought him back unharmed.  It hadn’t been long, however, before he had started to cough violently, then simply stopping.

By the reaction of his friend, he had met a horrible end.

Helena forced herself to stop lingering on the deceased boy, and attempted to pull herself together enough to calm his friend.

She did her best to keep him talking to her, but he constantly fell out of the conversation and reduced to a panicked state.

-oOo-

“You two go, stop him before he gets any further,” Valda instructed.  “Ms. Donovan and I will join you shortly.”

Myka and Pete nodded and left the apartment Claudia had found during their flight.  It appeared to be MacPherson’s base in the city; maps, diagraphs, and ancient texts were spread across almost every flat surface.  Valda and Myka had translated one of the maps to get coordinates to what MacPherson seemed to think was the location of the entrance to Warehouse 2.

Pete stopped Myka right before she climbed into the driver’s seat of the rental.

“We need to go,” she hissed at him.

“We’ve almost tracked them down, take a few breaths, and calm down.”

She glared at him for a moment, then nodded and did as he said.

“Okay,” he said.  “Let’s go.”

-oOo-

The boy’s cry cut through the haze that coated Helena’s existence.  She struggled to gain at least a little more coherence, but the pain beat down on her.

She hadn’t noticed when he had been taken away, the pain had become too much for her to do anything.  Even breathing was a labor.

“It does appear I have been successful in neutralizing the first obstacle,” she heard MacPherson say.  “I believe that means you are of no use now.”

She jumped and let out a short scream when a gunshot filled the air.  A hand then grabbed her arm and pulled her up.  The pain pushed even further.  The edges of her consciousness started to fade.

He pulled her across the sand.  Her feet were barely able to keep her upright at his pace.  Her body was barely able to take the pain each movement made.

When she collapsed, she passed out instantly.

-oOo-

“It’s like they’re mummies,” Pete said as he crouched next to the bodies.

“Is…” Myka couldn’t complete the question.  Her eyes were narrowed as she inspected the clump of tents a few meters away.

“No, it’s not her.”

Myka nodded absently.  Her gaze focused on something in the sand between two of the tents.  “Pete,” she said as she realized what it was.  Helena.

She nearly broke into a sprint; only the very real threat of MacPherson held her back.

Pete looked up and groaned at the sight.

“He has to be around here somewhere,” he told her.

She nodded, her eyes still on Helena.  She watched Helena long enough to see the subtle rise and fall of her breathing, then joined Pete in searching the tents for MacPherson.  She focused on the tents that led her in Helena’s direction.  Once she was sure they were empty, she rushed to Helena’s side.  She crouched down, and pressed her fingers lightly into Helena’s neck.

She let out a ragged sigh when she found the fluttering pulse.  It was weak and irregular, but it was there.

A small sense of relief briefly lifted some of her fear, but it was fleeting.  Helena was shaking violently.  Her skin was dark red, blistered in places, and covered in scrapes and bruises.  A few deep cuts were still bleeding into the sand.

Myka twisted around, searching for Pete in order to tell him to get some medical attention to the location.  She froze when she saw MacPherson holding a gun to Pete’s head.  The next second, she was standing, facing him, and her tesla was raised.

“It would benefit you to drop your weapon, Agent Bering,” MacPherson said.

“Don’t, Myka,” Pete instantly said.

Myka tightened her grip.

“I would hate to be the cause behind you losing another partner, but I will shoot him,” MacPherson drawled.

She stared at him for another moment, then crouched down and set the tesla in the sand.  MacPherson nodded.

“Very good.  Now, pick up Ms. Wells.”

Not taking her eyes off of him, she maneuvered around Helena, then lifted her.  She mentally noted how little the woman weighed.

“Now, Agent Bering, you will come with me.  Agent Lattimer, you will stay here.”

“Why would I do that?” Pete asked.

“I had hoped you would ask that,” MacPherson said with a smirk.

Before Pete or Myka could question what he meant, he hit Pete over the head with the gun.


	6. Chapter 6

Myka let out a choked cry as Pete hit the sand, but with Helena in her arms, there wasn’t anything she could do.

MacPherson aimed the gun at her.  “With me.”

She nodded and tightened her grip on Helena.

MacPherson raised his free arm, and pointed at the entrance.  “Through there.  You first.”

She slowly started to walk; as light as Helena was, holding her made walking awkward.  She ducked through the entrance, and paused for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness.  In any other situation, she would take the time to study the paintings on the walls and stone statues that sat every few meters.  However, she passed them all without a glance.  Her entire focus was on holding Helena steady, and walking evenly.

“Mind, body, soul, Agent Bering.  That is the clue left by the agents of Warehouse Two,” MacPherson said as they walked through the hall of the ancient building.  “Let’s see if we, with my mind, your seemingly pure soul, and her body for the sacrifice, are able to defeat what lies ahead.”

Myka’s heart froze momentarily when he referred to Helena as a sacrifice.  If nothing else, she had to prevent that.

They rounded a corner and entered a room with marble obelisks arranged in a pattern.  The door they had walked through slammed shut.

MacPherson ignored it and started to examine the rest of the room.  He turned towards Myka and was about to say something when scraping noises drew their attention upwards.  The ceiling was moving downwards.

“Well, put her down and help me find a way out,” MacPherson snapped at Myka.

Myka carefully laid Helena in the alcove with the door.  She then turned and took in the room.

“Mind, body, soul,” she muttered.  “Mind.”

She looked at MacPherson, who was about to move one of the obelisks.

“Wait,” she cried.  Frustrated, he turned to her.  “Mind.  Body.  Soul.  Three clues, three tasks.  So this is mind.”

“And how do you propose we solve this?”

She took a shuddering breath and eyed the arrangement of the obelisks.

“It’s a puzzle.  I went through a cold case with one of these.  The same exact set up.  We need to jump the pieces over each other until there’s only one left.”

“Then get to it.”

She nodded absently, and thought back to the case.  She had spent days trying to solve the puzzle and neutralize the artifact, but each time she made a wrong move, she forgot that she had been playing.  Pete had been the one to solve it.  He had just walking in one day and figured it out, then started talking about pancakes.

She focused her mind on the moves he had made, then went to work.

She moved each piece the way she remembered Pete had.  MacPherson only helped by dragging the discarded pieces away.  Myka’s muscles burned as she worked with the marble, but a quick glance at the ceiling or Helena pumped another shot of adrenaline through her.

They barely finished in time.  MacPherson pulled the last extra obelisk away just before the ceiling hit it.  When the ceiling did hit the final obelisk standing, it stopped.  A door opened a moment later.

MacPherson leered at Myka.  “Well done.  Now, grab her, and go on.”

Myka crawled to Helena.  She checked her pulse again.  It had weakened even more.

“She won’t survive being moved again,” she said, her voice strained.  “I won’t kill her.”

“No, it wouldn’t do to have her die here,” he mused.

Myka tensed, but didn’t comment.  He was going to help Helena.  He took something out of his pocket, and tossed it towards her.  It landed a few feet from her.

“Press that to her temple,” he explained.

She picked it up and inspected it.  It was a small piece of brick with a ‘W’ carved on one side.

She glanced between the brick and Helena for a moment, then did as MacPherson said.  A few moments later a blue shimmer glossed over Helena’s body, than she released a steady breath.

Myka felt her pulse again.  It was stronger than it had been before; whatever that artifact was, it worked.  She slipped it into her pocket before MacPherson could demand to have it back.

“Well, hurry up,” MacPherson groaned.

She glanced behind her at the small area between the ceiling and floor.  She thought for a moment, then pulled Helena onto her back and low crawled across the room.

MacPherson just watched her with a bored expression.

“Ladies first,” he said when she got close to him.

Myka rolled her eyes, but followed his instructions.

-oOo-

Pete groaned as someone shook him awake.  He took in his surroundings through blurry eyes, then shot up when what happened sunk in.  He cursed as the pain in his head nearly knocked him out again.

“Hey, calm down,” a voice next to him said.

He looked over to see Claudia watching him.  Past her, he could just make out Valda inspecting what had to be the entrance to Warehouse 2.

“MacPherson,” Pete said, his voice cracking part way through the word.  Claudia handed him a bottle of water.  He gulped half of it down before speaking again.  “He has Myka and HG.”

“They went into the Warehouse, correct?” Valda asked, looking over at them.

Pete nodded.

“We need to follow them as quickly as possible.”

Pete nodded again and pushed himself to his feet.  Claudia pressed herself to his side for support.  He ignored the pain as they started to walk.

“Are you sure you should be coming with us?” Claudia asked him.  “I think you have a concussion, man.”

“He has Myka,” he simply said.

Claudia just nodded.

-oOo-

“I will shoot you,” MacPherson said.

Myka continued to glare at him.  “You’ll have to if you want to get to her.”

The rows of fire behind him were an excellent light source, but they threw his face into shadow.  The metal of his gun shone brightly.

Behind her, Helena let out a deep groan.  The artifact had taken her pain away, but without the pain, she seemed to be slowly waking from her unconsciousness.

“One must die, Agent Bering, and although I would prefer it be her, I have no qualms with it being you.”

She thought for a moment, a plan forming, then nodded.  She stepped to the side, giving him room to pass.

He nodded at her.  “Smart girl.”

She waited until he was right next to her.  Then she forced his gun arm up, a bullet went loose, ricocheting off the walls.  She spun her body back between him and Helena, and brought her knee up between his legs.  He staggered back, giving her room to maneuver.

“You’ll regret that,” he gasped, but remained doubled over.

She just stepped forward, and landed a kick on the side of his head.  He struggled to stay upright, hit the wall, then fell into the first row of fire.  Another bullet escaped his gun.  A sharp pain in her right leg forced her to the ground.

She blankly stared at her leg.  Blood was quickly drenching her pants.  Some part of her realized that she had been hit be the bullet, but that part was muffled by the immediate danger of the situation.  She had been trained to take a bullet after all.  Her hands clamped around her leg as she tried to figure out what to do.

“Myka?”

The voice behind her made her heart pause.  She twisted around.  Helena had curled into herself on the ledge Myka had set her on.  Her shaking had increased.

“I’m here, Helena, I’m here,” Myka gasped out.  She pulled her shirt over her head, and tied it tightly around the bullet would.  She pushed herself to her feet, and cried out when she put pressure on her injured leg.  She pushed forward, however, until she was standing next to Helena.

“Pain,” Helena moaned.

“I know, I know.  We need to keep moving forward, so we can get out and get you to a hospital.”

She could just make out Helena’s head shake.  “You.”

Myka let out a dry laugh.  “I’m fine, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to carry you anymore, I don’t want to risk dropping you.”

Helena nodded.  Myka pulled the piece of brick out of her pocket.

“First, I uh… I think we should us this thing again, to help you cope with a little more of the pain.”

Helena nodded again.  Myka brushed some hair off of Helena’s temple, then pressed the brick against Helena’s skin.  The blue shimmer covered Helena again.  When it faded, Helena’s shaking visibly decreased.

“Okay, you remember how we got you out of that bathroom when you first came to the B&B?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that.  At your pace.”

She let her hand hover over Helena’s.  A few seconds later, Helena wrapped her fingers around Myka’s wrist.  The moved slowly until Helena was on her feet.

After a moment, Helena let out a cry, and started to collapse.  Myka wrapped her free arm around Helena’s waist, and held her up.  Helena dropped Myka’s wrist, and both of her arms slid around Myka’s neck.  She pressed her face into Myka’s skin.  Myka braced the arm Helena had released against the wall.

They stood like that for a few moments.  Myka counted each pained breath that hit her throat.  She couldn’t even imagine the pain Helena must have been in, but her own pain was starting to eat its way up her leg.

“We have to keep going,” she said after a few minutes when Helena’s breathing evened out slightly.

Helena nodded against her, then dropped one of her arms, and moved so she was pressed against Myka’s left side.  Her other arm stayed in place around Myka’s neck, and Myka’s arm did not leave her waist.

They slowly started their way across the room.

-oOo-

“You sure this is the right way?” Pete asked as they ducked into the room.  The ceiling was barely four feet above the floor, and seemed to be held up by a single pillar of marble.

“It’s the only way,” Claudia replied.

“This would have been the mind challenge,” Valda said as they all inspected the empty slots and discarded obelisks.

Valda and Claudia froze when Pete let out a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Claudia demanded.

“I showed Myka how to do this.  Well, I solved the puzzle in front of her, which is basically showing her.”

“Myka solved this,” Claudia said.

“Which means, he knows he needs her,” Pete continued.

“So he won’t kill her.”

Pete nodded.

Another door opened suddenly.  They all glanced at each other, then moved through it.

-oOo-

Myka could feel what little strength Helena had fail a little more with each step.  She knew Helena wouldn’t last much longer, but also knew she wouldn’t either.

Her shirt was soaked through, and her wound was still bleeding.  With each step, her mind fogged, her limbs slowed, and her vision blurred.

“ _Myka,”_ Helena said.

“What?” Myka mumbled.

Helena didn’t respond.  Myka looked at her.  Her closed eyes were staring intently at something.

“ _Myka.”_

It was Helena’s voice, but Helena’s mouth didn’t move.

Myka looked to the other side and they were back at Leena’s.  Helena was standing in front of her, a book in her arms.

“How was the case?” Helena asked.

“It was good, but being home is better.”

“Oh, I am sure it is.”

Myka laughed and took the book from her.  “ _Harry Potter_?”

“Claudia insisted I read it.  She said something about shaping a generation and bringing reading back to childhood.”

“She’s right.  It’s a good read.”  She looked over the book again and paused.  “This isn’t in Braille.”

“I was hoping you would read it to me.”

Myka grinned.  “I would love to.”

Helena walked to the couch.  Myka watched her.

Something was off.  Helena was good at getting around the B&B, but not that good.  She still had to feel her way around, and regularly hit furniture corners.

A red light caught Myka’s eye.  She turned towards it.  A lamppost with a bright red bulb sat in the garden.

“Are you coming, Myka?”

Helena’s voice banished the thoughts from Myka’s head.

“Of course.”  Myka joined Helena on the couch.  She sat a cushion over, only to be pulled closer as Helena’s arms wrapped around her.

\--

“She’s very pretty, Mummy.”

Helena smiled at her daughter, and looked at the doll she was holding.

“She is, isn’t she?  A very pretty doll.”

“Not the doll, Mummy,” Christina laughed.

“Then who?”

“Myka.”

Helena’s breath caught.  Christina continued in that way children innocently do while playing.

“I know you’ve never seen her, but you would think she’s pretty.  The prettiest person in the whole entire world.”

Blackness started to creep along the edges of Helena’s vision.  She tried to push it back.

“She’s part of your happy place too, Mummy.  For a long time, it was just me, then she showed up.  She’s nice, and smart, and pretty.  I like her, Mummy.”

“I like her too,” Helena murmured.  She looked intently at Christina.  “You’re not truly here, are you, love?”

“I’m always here, Mummy.  We’re your happy place, Myka and me.  We could help you defeat the dementors.”

Helena’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the word.  The blackness pushed further in.

“I like that book, Mummy.  Myka read it to me.”

Helena let out a choked sob.  She pulled Christina close and kissed the top of her head.  The black covered everything but her daughter’s face.

“I love you, Christina.”

“I love you, Mummy.”

Then Christina was no longer in her arms.  Myka was, and she was in Myka’s arms.

For a brief, glorious moment, all she felt was Myka’s arm around her waist, then the pain and knowledge of reality set in.

She screamed and collapsed, brining Myka down with her.

Myka seemed to convulse for a moment, then froze.

“Don’t move, Helena,” Myka said.  Helena could barely hear her through the pain ringing in her ears.

She could hear the crash slightly better, then felt the tremor as it ran through the room.  A moment later, she felt Myka hovering next to her.  She fought through the pain to wrap her fingers around Myka’s wrist.

She tried to pull herself up, but the pain was too much.

“It’s okay,” Myka murmured, her voice sneaking through the pain.  “I’ve got you.”

Helena felt Myka’s arms slide under her knees and around her back.  She hooked one of her arms around Myka’s neck as she was pulled against the taller woman, then lifted into the air.

-oOo-

“Is that a gun?” Claudia asked.  She walked over and picked the object up.  “This is a gun.”

Pete walked from the ledge and looked at it.  “It’s MacPherson’s,” he said.  “Something went down in this room.  I can feel it.”

“ _Moot care to_ ,” Valda murmured.

They both turned towards him.  He was lightly fingering a carving on the wall.

“What?” Claudia asked, eyebrow raised.

“One must die,” he translated.  “One of them didn’t leave this room.”

Claudia moaned.

“It better have been MacPherson, or he will be wishing it was,” Pete said.

He took the gun from Claudia and tucked it into the back of his pants.  He met her gaze for a moment, then started to search for a door.

A faint scream sounded a few minutes later.

“That’s HG,” Claudia said.  Her voice was small.

“Then MacPherson better be the one who died,” Pete growled.  “And where the hell is the door?”

He jumped when a wall next to him slid open.

“Really?  Really?”

“Not now, Agent Lattimer,” Valda said as he walked through the door.

-oOo-

“It’s amazing,” Myka said.  She stood at the top of the stairs and stared down at the stacks.  It seemed nearly as endless as her Warehouse, and with centuries worth less of artifacts.  As she looked, a wave of faintness hit her.  She reached for the closest pillar, and clung to it.

“Exit?” Helena gasped.

“None that I can see,” Myka admitted.  She scanned the edges of the Warehouse.  Her eyes strained against the dark.  The pounded in her head grew.  “But I’ll find one, I promise.”

The single thought was on her mind.  She had to get Helena out.  There was no other option.

“Don’t leave.”

Myka turned around and looked at Helena.  She was curled into a fetal position.  Her face was hidden and her entire body shook.

Myka’s hand slipped into her pocket and pulled the piece of brick out.  Once more couldn’t hurt.  Anything to help Helena.

Myka limped forward.  She didn’t notice when the brick slipped from her fingers as she practically collapsed next to Helena.  Helena made feeble attempts to move towards her.  Myka moved instead.  She wrapped her arms around Helena, and held her close.

“I’ve got you,” she whispered.  “I’ve got you.”

-oOo-

Pete, Claudia, and Valda moved through the Medusa room without comment.  They just stepped through the hole the Medusa left, and entered the Warehouse.

Pete and Claudia were instantly at Myka’s side.

She was barely conscious.  Her eyelids fluttered when Pete checked her pulse, but she made no other movement.

Claudia crouched by Myka’s leg and pressed her hands against the wound.  “She’s lost a lot of blood,” she blankly said.

Pete absently agreed as he checked Helena’s pulse.

“Agent Lattimer,” Valda said.

“What?” Pete replied, his voice dangerous.  He looked at the Regent, who was standing in front of a hole-filled wall.

“Do you recognize this pattern?”

“Is that really necessary now?”

“The fate of both Mrs. Fredric and the Warehouse rests on it, so, yes, it is very necessary right now.”

Pete grimaced as he looked up at the holes.  He shook his head slightly.  “It… it kinda looks like the night sky.”

Valda nodded.  “Yes, the water bearer.”

“Aquarius,” Pete said.  He turned back to the women on the floor, but Valda called his name again.

“I need you to put this,” he held up what looked like a chess piece on a string of leather, “into that hole.”  He pointed at a hole Pete recognized to be a part of Aquarius.

Pete glanced at Myka, then stood and walked to Valda.  He took the object and stretched to slide it into the hole.  It took him a few moments, but when he got it in, sparks showered over them.

Pete instantly moved back to Myka.  She had slipped completely into unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

Claudia sat with Myka’s head in her lap.  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she gently stroked Myka’s forehead.   She was surrounded by the biggest snag, bag and tag in centuries, but all Claudia could focus on was the red smudges her fingers left on the pale skin.

They had managed to slow the blood flowing from Myka’s leg, and Pete had put himself in charge of holding the pressure.  His face was set, but silent tears fell from his eyes.

Valda had checked Helena’s injuries – Claudia did feel a slight twang of guilt that she had focused immediately on Myka – then had vanished further into the Warehouse without telling them anything.

Myka gave a shuddering breath.  Pete and Claudia’s slight movements froze.

“Pete?” Claudia whispered.

He didn’t respond.

“Tell me they’re going to be okay.”  She let out a sob when he still didn’t say anything.  “Please.  Tell me.”

“They are going to be okay,” Valda said as he walked up.  “There is a medical helicopter on its way; they will be transported to the nearest hospital.”

Neither of them noticed when he froze, bent down, and picked something up.  He inspected it, then slipped it into his pocket.

-oOo-

Pete had not stopped pacing since walking into the waiting room.  The doctors had already cleared his head injury as a minor concussion and given him some meds.  They had told him that the pills might make him drowsy, but he was too focused to notice anything.

Claudia was curled up in a chair, hovering just on ledge of sleep.  Her Farnsworth rested in her lap, Leena’s face just visible on the screen.

They had been in the room for hours, since the airlift had landed at the Alexandria hospital.  Not a single person in the hospital staff had been in to talk to them.

Claudia had been with Leena on the Farnsworth as long as they had been there.  The women had hardly spoken since Leena had told them that Mrs. Fredric was fine, but both Claudia and Pete took comfort in having the connection to their home.

Pete stopped pacing when Artie walked into the room with Vanessa.  Pete looked at them for a moment, then walked over and roused Claudia.

“Any news?” she grumbled.

He nodded towards the couple.  She sat up in the chair.

“Have you talked to the doctors?” Pete asked them.

“I have,” Vanessa replied.

“And?”

“Myka’s almost out of surgery.  The bullet thankfully missed her femoral artery, but it still did a lot of damage.  She should make a full recovery.  You will be able to see her once she wakes up.”

Slight relief settled over Pete and Claudia.

“What about HG?” Claudia asked slowly.

“She’s in ICU in a medically induced coma,” Vanessa said.   “They are going to keep her under until at least her sunburns heal.”

“And after that?” Claudia pushed.  Her voice was small and shook slightly.

“They don’t know.”

Claudia collapsed back in her chair.

-oOo-

Myka woke nearly five hours later.  Claudia had finally given into sleep, and Vanessa and Artie had gone to get food, so Pete walked into her room alone.

“Hey,” she rasped.  She was propped up in a half sitting position.  Her eyes were wide and slightly glazed.  Her smile was lopsided.

“Hey,” he said through a lump in his throat.  He sat in the chair next to her.

“How’s your head?” she asked.

He gave a short laugh.  “You’re the one in the hospital bed, and you’re worried about my head?”

“He did hit you pretty hard.”

“Not as hard as he hit you.”  He gave a deep sigh.  “I thought we established that when we go out, we go out together.”

She chuckled and grabbed his hand.  “I didn’t go out, did I?”

He laughed as well – a slightly forced laugh that, even in her dazed state, she saw through instantly.  They fell into silence.

“How’s Helena?” she quietly asked.

He took a deep breath, and looked down.

“Please, Pete.  They won’t tell me anything.”

He looked back up.  “She’s in a medically induced coma, and Doctor V isn’t sure if she’ll come through.”

Myka closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Pete could see her trying to hold herself together.  Emotions flitted across her face.

“She’s strong, Myka.  You know that,” he said.  He slipped his hand into hers, and lightly rubbed her knuckles with his thumb.  “She’ll pull through.”

A light knocking came from the door.  They looked towards it to see Artie and Vanessa.

“Hey,” Myka said with a smile.  Her eyes had cleared slightly, but her grin was still as crooked as ever.

“It’s good to see you up,” Vanessa said, returning the smile.  She walked to Myka’s side and started to check her vitals.

“It’s good to be up,” Myka responded.  “How’s Mrs. Fredric?”

Pete shook his head and smiled slightly.

“She’s perfectly fine,” Vanessa told her.

“Good,” Myka said with a nod.

“How are you feeling?”

“Everything below my waist has been numbed, and the world’s kinda blurry, but I’m fine.”

“Are you up to telling us what happened?” Artie asked her.

“Now?” Pete questioned.  “Can’t it wait?”

“It’s fine, Pete,” Myka told him.  “The sooner I do this, the fresher the memory will be.”

“All of your memories are fresh,” he said.  “You’re freaky that way.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to Artie and Vanessa.  “Where do you want me to start?”

“When you arrived at the camp with Pete,” Artie told her.

She nodded and started talking.

The words came slowly as the events ran through her mind again.

Pete gave a triumphant cry and teased her slightly when she explained how she solved the mind task, then tensed as she moved into the body task and MacPherson’s threats.

She squeezed his hand lightly.  “I’m here, Pete.”

He nodded, and she continued.

She quickly finished the body task, then skirted around the soul task.

“What do you mean it took you somewhere?” Artie asked.

“Mentally.  We were still in the room, but our minds went somewhere else – to our happiest place.”

“So what, you went to some library or something?” Pete tried to joke.

“Yeah, or something,” Myka mumbled.  She could still practically feel Helena’s arms wrapped around her, and the entire sequence still confused her.  At the same time, however, it made perfect sense.

She could tell that Pete was restraining himself from asking  _exactly_  where she had gone, for the time being at least.  She squeezed his hand again in thanks.

“How did you break the trance?” Artie pushed.

“Helena did.  She fell, and took me down with her.  I guess the jolt did it.”

“So what, you two were just going to stand there until you died?” Pete asked.

“The floor was, uh, breaking away,” she told him.  “We would have fallen.”

“Oh.”

“Did it stop when the trances broke?” Artie asked.

“No, I had to break the medusa.  It lifted away, and the Warehouse was on the other side.  I carried Helena in, and then I guess we both passed out.”  She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to pull up more details, but everything was clouded.

“You don’t remember anything else?”

“There were no exits, I remember that.  And all I really felt was the fear that I wouldn’t get Helena out in time.”

“The brick artifact you mentioned, can you describe it?” Vanessa asked.

Myka brought the image of the artifact to the front of her mind.

“Small, old, had a ‘W’ carved on one side.  There isn’t much else to say about it.”

Artie nodded, then pulled a static bag out of his bag.  “Was it this?” he asked as he handed it to her.

She took the bag and inspected the artifact inside.

“Yeah.  He had me hold it to her temple.  It, uh, it took her pain away.”

“How many times did you use it?” Vanessa asked.

“I used it twice, but I think MacPherson used it a few times.  What is it?”

“A piece of brick from Dr. Thomas Wynne’s house in Philadelphia,” Artie explained.

“City of brotherly love,” Pete spoke up.  “Shouldn’t be too bad then.”

“Initially, it isn’t.  It removes pain, but uses the life force of the person it is used on to do so.”

“What does that mean?” Myka asked in a small voice.

“If it was used too many times, she might not wake up,” Vanessa softly told her.

“I… I could of…”

“No,” Vanessa cut her off.  “Twice would not have been enough.”

“But if  _he_ used it enough, I could of…she might…”

“Myka,” Pete said.  “You did nothing wrong.  The only person to blame here is MacPherson, and he’s gone.”

She looked at him, and nodded after a moment.  He could see the hesitance, however, and a bad vibe hit him hard.

Artie took the artifact back from her.

“How long it will take her to wake up depends on how many times it was used,” Vanessa explained further. 

“If she wakes up,” Myka muttered.  The words were quiet, but they could all hear the fear and anger in them.

“Hey,” Pete said.  “She’ll wake up.  She’ll pull through.”

The vibe intensified as she lowered her eyes.  If they lost Helena, the realization hit him, they would lose Myka as well.

-oOo-

Myka fell asleep before they left, but they were all gone when she woke.

Instead, Claudia was curled up in the chair against the wall.  Her clothes were rumpled, and her hair was starting to take a greasy shine, but her eyes were alert.

“You okay?” Myka softly asked.

Claudia nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Claudia.”

“I was so scared,” Claudia whispered.  “I… I am scared.”

Myka didn’t say anything.  Claudia moved so her feet were planted on the ground, and her face in her hands.

“What if she doesn’t wake up?”  Her voice was muffled, through her fear and hands.

Myka wanted to comfort her, but fear was settled deep in her own essence as well.

“I don’t know,” she told the girl.


	8. Chapter 8

The next few days were a blur to Myka.  She existed in a drug and fear induced blur that was only interrupted by short periods of lucidity.

As time went on, however, the blur started to clear.  She spent more time awake, talking to Pete and Claudia, than she did sleeping – or passed out, as was a more accurate description.

With the clarity, however, came an increased sense of panic.

The reality of Helena’s situation constantly hovered in the back of her mind.  It crept closer to the front as each dose of meds wore off.

It wasn’t until Pete brought her a pile of books from a local bookstore that she could force the panic back herself.

She was halfway through the pile when, a few days later, Pete walked into her room with a wheelchair and a nurse.  She lowered the book, and raised an eyebrow.

“They’re letting you see her,” he explained.

Her face lit up.  She marked her place and put the book down.

“That’s the Myka I like to see,” he laughed.

“Then hurry up and help me into that chair.”  She started to shift to the edge of the bed herself.

Pete pushed the wheelchair next to her, and with the nurse’s help, lowered her into it.

Myka’s fingers clenched around the armrests as Pete rolled her out of her room.  The panic she had been fighting grew with each step Pete took.

When they finally stopped in front of Helena’s door, her skin was clammy, her breaths shuddered, and her eyes were slightly unfocused.

“You okay?” Pete asked as he crouched next to her.  She turned to him.

“Have you seen her?” she asked.  Her voice scrapped against her throat as she forced the words out.

“No.  Doctor V was lucky enough to get you in there.  I’m just here as your transportation.”

She nodded.  He rested a hand on hers.

“You sure you want to go in?”

She nodded again and forced a smile.  “Yeah.”

He nodded back and stood up.  Myka lifted her hand and wrapped her fingers around the door handle.  Slowly, she pushed the door open.

Pete slowly wheeled her inside.  The lights in the room were dim.  The blinds were closed, and extra fabric had been hung over them.

Myka’s eyes locked onto Helena.

She didn’t notice when Vanessa walked to them from a chair in the corner.  She didn’t hear the doctor talking to Pete and the nurse.  She didn’t notice when the wheelchair moved again.

All she knew was that Helena was there, lying unconscious in that bed.  Her skin was still tinted red, but her lips were stark white.  Her hair was limp and dull as it lay on the pillow.  Her bed was surrounded by machines and Myka could make out multiple tubes sneaking in and out from under the blanket.

Vanessa rolled her so she was sitting next to Helena’s torso.

Myka went to wrap her hands around Helena’s, but pulled back when she noticed the bandages.  Instead, desperate for some contact, she rested her hands on the bed, her fingers just barely brushing against Helena’s arm.

Vanessa pulled a chair to Myka’s side and sat in it.

“Myka,” she softly said.  Myka tilted her head slightly to show that, despite still looking at Helena, she was listening.  “You only have a few minutes in here, so I need to tell you this now.”

Myka nodded slightly.

“They are going to remove the breathing tube tomorrow.  If she starts to breathe on her own, you will both be flown back home by the end of the week.  If she doesn’t…”

“They’re separating us,” Myka finished for her.

“Don’t think of it like that,” Vanessa quickly said.  “It’s just to give you both the best chance to heal.  You need to go home, to be somewhere familiar, but we can’t move her until she’s breathing on her own.”

Myka just nodded again.  She leaned forward and rested a hand on the side of Helena’s head, her fingers lightly threading through her hair.

“Please don’t let the separate us,” she whispered.

Vanessa wasn’t sure if she was talking to her or Helena.

-oOo-

The next day, Myka tried to lose herself in the books, but, for one of the few times in her life, was unable to.

Pete, Claudia, and Artie all tried to distract her, but they all eventually were sitting in the tense silence.

The tension in the room didn’t break when Vanessa walked in a little after noon.  If anything, if grew thicker.

Vanessa simply observed them for a moment, then locked eyes with Myka.  She nodded and smiled.

“She’s going home with you.”

Myka let out a relieved laugh.

“The flight’s on Friday.  I talked with a few of the doctors here, and we have decided to put you under for the flight after some concern with the air pressure change was brought up.  You will be administered the medication here, then will wake up in Featherhead,” Vanessa explained.

“Can I do that too?” Pete asked.  When everyone turned to him, he pointed at his head.  “Concussion, guys.”

“You’ll get aspirin and deal with it,” Artie answered him.

“You’ll get something stronger than aspirin,” Vanessa said, shooting Artie a look, “but with a head injury, we’d rather keep you awake to monitor your responses to the changes.”

Pete nodded.  “I can live with that.”

“Can I see her again?” Myka spoke up.  “At least once, before we go?”

“She’s being closely monitored today, in case her breathing stops, but as long as it doesn’t, you’ll be able to see her tomorrow,” Vanessa told her.

Myka nodded slightly.  “Thanks.”

-oOo-

Helena looked just as bad as she had when Myka had seen her the other day.  Though she could at least take consolation in the fact that the machines around Helena looked less intimidating with the breathing machine gone.

Myka reached up and traced her fingers along Helena’s hairline.

“They’re moving us,” she softly said.  “We’re going back to South Dakota soon.  Not Univille, Featherhead, but close enough I guess.”

She took a shuddering breath and moved her hand so her palm was flat against the hair on the side of Helena’s head.

“I was terrified that they were going to separate us.  Mostly because it would mean that you aren’t getting better, but also because,” her voice broke slightly and the words trailed off.

She pulled her hand away from Helena, and started to wipe her tears away with both hands.

“Please wake up, Helena,” she whispered.  “I don’t think I can live without you anymore.”

-oOo-

Friday didn’t seem to come soon enough, but when it did, Myka intently watched as Vanessa injected the liquid into IV hooked into the back of her hand.

“It won’t be long,” the doctor told her.

“Good,” Myka muttered, her world already starting to darken.

Vanessa leaned over her and checked her pupils.

The last thing Myka was conscious of was Vanessa telling her that when she woke up, she’d be that much closer to home.

-oOo-

“She should be awake soon, right?”

“If you ask again, I will kick you out of here.”

“Alright, alright.  I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

“We all do, but that’s not a reason to aggravate everyone.”

“Could you two shut up?”

…

…

…

“Myka!  You’re awake!”

“I noticed.”

She slowly opened her eyes to see Pete’s face hovering over her.

“Get out of my face,” she groaned.

Pete turned around a grinned at the others.  “She’s fine.”

Someone pulled him away, and Vanessa took his place.

“She’s no worse than in Egypt, which is better than we expected,” the doctor said as she checked Myka’s pulse, then her pupils.

Myka nodded.  “That’s good.”

Vanessa helped her sit up once she was done checking her.  Myka smiled weakly at Pete and Artie, who were both standing at the foot of her bed.

“Hey, guys.”

Artie nodded with a small smile and Pete grinned widely.

“Where’s Claudia?” she asked.

“At the Warehouse with Leena, showing the new guy around,” Pete told her.

“New guy?”

“Agent Steve Jinks,” Artie said.  “Former ATF.  Mrs. Fredric recruited him while we were gone.  She seems to think we will be down an agent for longer than expected.”

“She thought right,” Myka agreed, looking him straight in his eyes.  He nodded after a moment, letting her know that he understood that she couldn’t leave Helena alone just yet.


	9. Chapter 9

“You could have at least let me carry my own bag,” Myka said as she walked – well, hobbled – into the bed and breakfast.  The hospital had finally let her go after monitoring her for two days.

Pete walked in behind her, completely laden down with bags.  He had been the only one to see her at the hospital.  The others had been busy at the Warehouse, making sure it was ready for the arrival of the Warehouse 2 artifacts.

“No way, man, you’re on crutches,” he argued.

“It’s a backpack, Pete.  I would have managed.”

“Still a no.”“It’s typically best to listen to limitations a doctor gives you,” Leena said as she walked into the foyer.

Myka grinned at her.  “Hey, Leena.”

Leena walked over to her and they hug as comfortably as Myka’s crutches allowed them to.

“How’s your head?” Myka asked.

“It’s fine, no lasting damage.”

“Good.”

“You need help with those?” a new voice asked.

Myka turned to see a well-built man walking down the stairs.

“Thanks, but I got it,” Pete replied as he hefted the bags up and started to walk up the stairs.

The man watched him go, then turned to Myka.

“Steve Jinks, I presume?” Myka said.

“You must be Myka.”

“The one and only!” Claudia declared as she walked in.  She hugged Myka, then linked arms with Jinks.  “Come, we have a fresh batch of oatmeal scotchies and about two more minutes before Pete devours them all.”

“Claudia, you know I…”

“Don’t eat sugar.  Sure, whatever you say.”

The girl led a bemused Jinks towards the kitchen.  Myka watched them go, then glanced over her shoulder, at the door.

“Pete will drive you back for her visiting hours tomorrow,” Leena said.  “Until then, relax as much as you can, and enjoy being home.”

Myka turned to her.  They both knew she wasn’t going to take Leena’s advice, but Myka smiled and nodded anyway.

-oOo-

Myka ran her fingers down the spine of the book in her hands.  She was sitting on her bed, her injured leg stretched out while the other was folded beneath her.  Her mind was racing.

Why had this book been the one to show up in her happiest place?  There were so many books she enjoyed more.  So many she had read more.  So many that meant more to her.  Yet, this little children’s story had made the cut.

“How is she?”

The soft question pulled her attention from the book and to her door.

Claudia was hovering just outside of her room.  Her hands were absently twisting the hem of her concert tee.

“The doctors said she isn’t worse than before the flight,” Myka told her.    "But that's all I know."

Claudia’s shoulders sagged slightly.  Myka motioned for her to join her on the bed.  As Claudia climbed onto the mattress, Myka set the book on her nightstand.

“You still scared?” Myka asked her.

Claudia stared at her lap for a moment, then nodded.

Myka pulled Claudia close and reclined against her headboard.  Claudia rested her head on Myka’s shoulder and twisted her fingers in the fabric of Myka’s shirt.  In return, Myka wrapped an arm around Claudia’s shoulders and held her tightly.

“I am too,” she quietly admitted.  “But she’s made it this far, so she can hopefully make it the rest of the way.”

Claudia nodded.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Claudia suddenly reached out and picked up the book.  Myka watched intently as she started to smile.

“Joshua used to read these to me.  Every night.  I bothered the crap out of him if we skipped a night.  They made me forget everything that had happened.”  She gave a strained laugh.  “One of my first foster brothers stole my copies.  They sent me away when I beat him up for it.  Got them back though, so it was worth it.”

Myka smiled, then reached around Claudia and gently took the book from her grasp.  She felt Claudia tense slightly, as if she thought she had done something wrong.  Myka opened the book, and started to read.

Claudia’s smile grew and she relaxed against Myka.

An hour later, when Leena peeked into the room to find out why the door was open, they were both asleep, the book still propped up in Myka’s hands.

-oOo-

Myka limped through the small shop, her crutches clacking as she went.  Pete hovered about a foot from her.  The hospital may have released her, but Pete was still acting like she could collapse at any moment.

She stopped at the small selection of books.  She browsed over the titles until she found the one she was looking for.  She picked it up and lightly fanned the pages with her thumb.  She had another copy in her room – well, more than one technically, but only one in English – but this one wasn’t for her, it was for Helena.

“Really?” Pete questioned.  “Out of everything, you chose  _Harry Potter_?”

Myka’s mind momentarily flashed back to the soul task in Egypt and she smiled.

“Yeah.”  She started to walk towards the register.  He followed her closely.

“I mean,” Pete continued, “I get that they’re good books.  They just seem a bit… modern for you two.”

Myka rolled her eyes and paid for the book.  Pete took it from her and absently flipped through the pages in an effort to hide the fact that he took it so she wouldn’t have to carry it.  She had to suppress the urge to glare at him for it.  Just because she was on crutches didn’t mean she couldn’t carry a book, but he meant well, and she knew how freaked out he still was.

“Why does the hospital even have this book?” Pete mused as they left the shop.

“It means a lot to a lot of people,” Myka shrugged.  “It’s a comfort.”

“If you say so,” Pete replied as they reached the elevator.  He pressed the up button and leaned against the wall.  “So, you’re gunna read it to her?  The entire book?”

“I’m going to read however much it takes for her to be so sick of my voice she wakes up to shut me up.”

“You might want to get the entire series then, cause she loves that barmaid voice of yours,” he told her as the elevator arrived.

“What?”  She stared at him and didn’t move until he guided her into the elevator.

“You never noticed?” he asked.  The doors closed.

“No, because there’s nothing to notice.  She doesn’t love my voice.”

He let out a short laugh.  “Right.”

She just looked at him.  His grin faltered slightly.

“You really haven’t noticed,” he said.  “She talked to you for hours, Myka, longer than the rest of us combined.  And it wasn’t that we didn’t have interesting conversations, she just always cut them short because the constant noise bothered her.  She either really likes your voice, or likes you enough to ignore how much it annoyed her.”

Myka just took the book back from him and started to thumb through it absently as she thought of what he had said.  The crutches dug slightly into her armpits as she put more weight on them, but she ignored the discomfort.

Thinking about it, she’d had longer conversations with Helena than the others.  She had just always attributed it the fact that she had been the first to gain her trust, the first Helena had opened up to.  She had never thought there could be another reason.

The doors opened at their floor and Myka quickly got off.  Pete stayed close behind her as they walked towards Helena’s room.

Myka paused with her hand on the doorknob.  She braced herself to see Helena again.  She had looked so bad in Egypt; would she look any better here?

Pete rested a hand on her shoulder.  “If anyone can pull her from this, it’s you,” he told her.

She nodded and entered the room, leaving Pete in the hall.

To her relief, Helena did look slightly better.  Although her face was just as pale and there were just as many machines around her bed, the entire set up didn’t seem to swallow her as much as it had.  Her presence seemed stronger.

Myka moved to the seat next to the bed, and lightly took Helena’s – finally un-bandaged – hand in her own.

“We’re home, Helena,” she quietly said.  “Well, closer anyway.  They let me go home yesterday, but they, uh, wouldn’t let me see you until now.  They wanted to make sure the flight didn’t have a negative impact on you.”

She took a deep breath and looked down at the book.  After a few moments, she looked back at Helena.

“I got something to read to you.   _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_  by JK Rowling.  It’s the first in a series of seven.  Most people consider them children’s books, but they’re good.  I think you’ll like them.  Claudia likes them.  I read this one to her last night, just don’t tell her I told you.”

She kept her eyes locked on Helena’s face, looking – hoping – for any signs that she had been heard.  When there wasn’t one, she let go of Helena’s hand, opened the book, and began to read.

-oOo-

Myka closed the book with a sigh.  Her fingers spread over the cover as she turned it in her hands.  She watched it for a few moments, then looked up at Helena.

There was no difference.

She hadn’t really expected any, but disappointment still rose up in her.  Each day Helena didn’t wake up weighed down on her.  What if she was the reason Helena hadn’t woken up yet?  What if she had pushed the artifact's effects over the edge?

She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath.

“I’ll bring the second book tomorrow,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse from three days of reading aloud.


	10. Chapter 10

“Here.”

Myka looked up from the book to see Pete standing next to her with a paper bag in his hand.  She set the book down and took the bag.  She unrolled the top and reached inside.  She pulled out a sandwich.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Figured you’re probably hungry.”

She nodded and started to unwrap the sandwich.  Pete pulled another chair over and sat next to her.  He watched Helena as Myka ate.

“Any difference?” he asked as she took the last bite.  He already knew the answer, not much would have changed in less than a day, but he couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

She swallowed, then shook her head.  “None.”

He watched her for a moment, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.  She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Give it some time,” he said.  “She’ll pull through.”

Myka nodded slightly.  Pete frowned.  The nod felt more like acknowledgment that he had spoken than agreement.

-oOo-

Myka absently played with Helena’s fingers.

“The new guy I told you about, Steve, is settling in well,” she said.  “He aggravates Pete a little, with the whole ‘human lie detector’ thing, but you get used to it.”

The pale skin beneath her fingers was almost as unblemished as it had been before.  Only a scar that ran across the knuckles gave any evidence of what had happened.

“Pete’s concussion is fully gone.  So, he’s back to normal.  Well, as normal as he ever was.”

She ran her thumb over the scar.  Its ridges felt large beneath her skin.

“Claudia still refuses to visit you.  She’s terrified of losing you.”

She looked away from the hands and up at Helena’s face instead.

“We all are.”

More words tingled on her tongue; a plea for the woman to wake up.  She had spoken them too many times, however, and she couldn’t let them out.

Instead, she picked up the book that sat next to Helena’s bed,  _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

After nearly losing her voice by marathoning through the first book, she decided to stick to a more feasible schedule of three chapters a day.  She had been reading for just over two weeks; Harry had just been saved from the Dementors by the mysterious figure.

-oOo-

Myka watched the machines carefully.  Helena’s stats wavered.  Vanessa had said they would, that it was best to reintroduce the artifact while Helena was out, that it wouldn’t impact her healing, but the knowledge did little to reassure Myka.

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.  She counted each inhale and lost count at each exhale.  Her stomach clenched, then unclenched, then clenched again.  Her teeth were shaking slightly around the lip snagged between them.

Finally, the beeping leveled.  She opened her eyes.  The stats had stopped jumping and Vanessa was smiling as she recorded them.

Her breathing eased.  Her stomach unclenched one last time.  Her jaw stopped shaking, but did not release her lip.

Myka’s gaze turned to Helena’s wrist, where the leather strap once again sat.

-oOo-

“Claudia, I need you to take these to Myka,” Artie instructed as he held a few files out to the girl.  “See if she can find anything new.”

Claudia backpedalled and held her hands up.  “Whoa, old man.  Myka’s you-know-where and I am not stepping foot in that place.”

Artie glared at her.  “Pete and Steve may be in danger, so we need to figure this out.  It is a little more pressing that your discomfort.”

Claudia stared at the files.

“Now,” Artie barked.  She lurched forward and took them.  She held them at arms-length.  “Go,” Artie ordered.

Her shoulders slouched and she pouted slightly.  Still she started to move towards the umbilicus door.

“I’ll go with,” Leena suddenly said as she stood.  She closed the file she had been going through and handed it to Artie.  Claudia gave her a thankful look.

-

Claudia froze when Helena’s door came into view.  Leena turned towards her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“It will be alright,” Leena softly said.  “Just tell yourself that she’s sleeping.”

Claudia took a few deep breaths, then nodded.  “Just sleeping,” she murmured as they started walking.

She froze again in the doorway.

Helena was lying on the bed, so obviously  _not_ just sleeping.  Next to her, Myka was reclined in a chair and reading aloud.

Claudia let the words fill her before Leena nudged her inside.

Myka glanced over at them.  She held up a finger, asking for a few more moments, and kept reading.

Leena managed to get Claudia a few feet further into the room, but the girl kept her head down and her eyes glued to the floor.

Claudia could sense Helena’s presence and that was enough for her.  She didn’t need to further imprint into her brain the image of Helena on the bed.

Myka’s voice stopped after a few moments and Leena gently took the files from Claudia.

“Artie wants you to go over these,” Leena told Myka.

“I will.  How’s the case going?”

Claudia brought her arms up to wrap around herself.  She ignored the short conversation between Myka and Leena.  She just wanted to get away from the room.  It was stealing, not just one, but two members of her family.

Despite her wishes, however, her head slowly rose until she was looking at Helena.

Her focus narrowed until all she was aware of was her heart pounding in her ears and Helena on the bed.

She couldn’t breathe.  No matter how fast or deep she took in each breath, no air came in.  Her chest started to ache.  Her sight started to grey over.  Her legs began to weaken.

Suddenly, she was aware of the fact that she was leaning heavily on Leena.  Her face was pressed into Leena’s neck.  Leena’s arms were wrapped around her waist.

“It’s okay,” Leena whispered.  “She’ll pull through.  I know she will.”

-

Myka watched in silence as Leena led Claudia away from the room.  That had not been the reaction she had expected from Claudia.

Silence, sure.  Inability to look at Helena, sure.  A hasty retreat, sure.

Nearly falling into a panic attack, though?  Hadn’t even crossed Myka’s mind.

She blinked a few times, then turned back to Helena.

“If that doesn’t convince you to come back, I don’t know what will,” she softly said.  “She lost her entire family.  She’s terrified of losing anyone else.”

-oOo-

_‘Don’t know what you’re complaining about, myself.’_

_‘What?’ said Harry incredulously._

_‘Personally, I’d have welcomed a Dementor attack.  A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely.  You think you’ve had…’_

The print blurred before Myka’s eyes.  The words grew thick on her tongue.

She made it to the end of the sentence, then stopped.  She slid the bookmark into place and shut the book.

She looked at Helena through hooded eyes.  Nearly a month had passed since they had gotten back to the States and she didn’t seem to be getting any better.  Not to Myka, anyway.

Artie had Myka researching for pings.  A case involving memory loss and Walter Winchell’s tie clip and cuff links had kept her up the past few nights, especially when Pete had been whammied.

“I hope it’s alright if I stop here,” she murmured, just moments from sleep.  “I’m a little tired.”

-

Vanessa looked down at Myka.

The younger woman was curled up in the chair next to Helena’s bed.  Her legs were tucked beneath her.  Her arms were wrapped around her torso, pressing a book to her chest.  Her head was bowed.

Vanessa smiled and knelt in front of Myka.  She rested a hand on the agent’s shoulder and gently shook her awake.

Myka groaned as she unfurled.  “Wassap?” she asked as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

“Visiting hours ended two hours ago.”

Myka let out a pitiful sound as bent over, her arms resting on her knees.  Vanessa’s smile held as she guided Myka to her feet.  She grabbed the crutches that leant against the wall and held them out to Myka.

Myka set the book on Helena’s nightstand and took the crutches.

“I have good news,” Vanessa said.

Myka, sleep still clouding her mind, looked at her.

“All of her injuries are healed.”

Myka turned to Helena.  “So it now depends on the artifact.”

“It depends on her,” Vanessa countered.  “And she’s strong.”

-oOo-

The soft voice flowed through her consciousness.  It danced.  It ran.  It swam.  It kissed the words and gave them wings.

She made chase.  Her motions were less graceful.  She tumbled.  She lurched.  She could barely stay on her feet.  Still, she chased.

She caught a few.  She held them in her hands and let their existence fill her with joy.  With warmth.  With reason.

She didn’t hold them for long, preferring to release them and let them be free.  To find another life, another mind, another meaning.

The longer she chased, the more refined her movements became, the more words she caught.

She began to catch multiple words at once.  Phrases.  Clauses.  Sentences.  Paragraphs.

Each word played off the others and altered their meaning.

A story started to piece itself together.  She could make little sense of it, however, as she had missed many of the words that told it.

As the words started to come together, the voice became more familiar.  The words started to pass her by again as she focused on the voice.

Its tone soothed her.  The way it rose and fell.  The slight accent that stressed some letters more than others.

As she listened, a single word grew out of the voice.  Not created by it like the others, but born from its very essence.

The word gained strength as the voice flowed.  Until, at last, it was large enough to catch.

_Myka_

-

Once she identified the origin of the voice, everything became clear.

She was lying in a bed somewhere with aggravating beeps and hums hanging in the air.    Air that smelt too clean.  The chemical odor chewed at her.  Something sharp was stuck in the back of one hand.  Braille’s band was wrapped around the other wrist.  Her body felt almost completely numb, with pain only managing to cling to the edges of her being.

Myka was reading something to her.  Her voice was slow and tired, but strong.

“Myka.”

Finally, a word given flight from her own lips, although not of her own creation.

“Helena?  You’re awake.”  She could hear the relief, the joy, the smile, in the voice.

“Reading.”  She wanted to say so much more, but her addled mind could only produce so much, and the most prominent thought made it out.

“Sorry.  I can stop if it’s bothering you.”

“No!”  It came out too rough, nipping and clawing at her throat as it moved out.

“Okay,” Myka laughed.  The sound was tense and rough, as if it had not been utilized recently.

The story took flight again.


	11. Chapter 11

“I swear she woke up,” Myka insisted.  Tears gathered in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“I believe you,” Vanessa told her.  “But there’s no change in any of her stats so they want to keep a closer watch on her for a little while.”

Myka slumped against the wall.  “I should have gotten a nurse.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Myka shrugged and glanced back to Helena’s room.

“She asked me to keep reading.”

Vanessa placed her hand on Myka’s shoulder.  “She woke up.  It doesn’t matter how long it was; it’s a good thing.”

Myka nodded.

“Go call the others,” Vanessa told her.

Myka took a deep breath, nodded again, and pulled her Farnsworth out.  She called Artie as she walked down the hall.  The call was answered within seconds, but Claudia was the one in the screen.

“Any change?”  Claudia’s voice was full of worry and she was clearly thinking the worst.

“She woke up,” Myka told her.  “Briefly, but she was awake.”

Claudia’s expression instantly changed.  Her eyes widened and the edges of her lips quirked up slightly.

“She’s going to be okay?” she quietly asked.

Myka smiled slightly and nodded a few times.  “She should be.”

-oOo-

Thick blankets weighed down on her.  A haze – drug induced by her assumptions – muted her perception of the world.  The inability to sense anything dragged her mind back to her years in bronze.  She fought the urge to panic.

She could not be back in the metal.  They would not allow it to happen.  Myka would not allow it to happen.

Yet, where else could she be?  She fought through the fog in her mind until she stumbled upon the most recent memories.

MacPherson.  Egypt.  Warehouse 2.  Myka.

They would have every reason to bronze her again after what had happened.  She had been responsible for Leena’s injury; for Mrs. Fredric’s pain; for the death of those boys.  She had been responsible for Myka finding herself on the wrong end of a firearm.

Just as she felt her panic slip to reluctant acceptance and self-hatred, a voice, not Myka’s, softly filled her ears.  After a few moments, she remembered the name that went with the voice – Doctor Calder.

“Can you hear me, Helena?” Vanessa asked.

“Myka,” Helena whimpered out.

Vanessa let out an amused breath.  “I’ll get her in here.”

A feeling of conflicted relief filled her.  She was not encased in bronze, but she was still the primary factor in everything that had occurred.  She deserved the punishment.

-oOo-

A tense atmosphere had settled over the occupants of the waiting room.  Claudia, Leena, and Pete had rushed to the hospital after hearing the news.  Three hours after arriving, however, they were still sitting around waiting for news.

Only Myka refused to sit.  Instead, she was leaning against the wall opposite the door and had been the entire time.  Her eyes had not left the door since she had taken the position.

She pushed off of the wall as soon as she noticed Vanessa walking towards the room.

The others followed her lead and were standing when the doctor walked in.

Vanessa looked at Myka and nodded.  “She’s awake again,” she said.

The tension instantly left the room.

“Two of you can come see her.”

Myka stepped forward and grabbed Claudia when she passed her.  Vanessa nodded and led them away.

“She’s…under the influence of some powerful painkillers,” Vanessa said as they walked.  “So she may not seem entirely herself.”

“You got her high?” Claudia questioned with a weak smirk.

Vanessa chuckled.  “We did.  We hope to decrease the dosage soon, but it all depends on how her body reacts.”

“How aware is she?” Myka asked.

“Not completely, but she will know that you’re there and will be able to respond a little if you talk to her.”

Myka nodded and crossed her arms.  Claudia pressed close to Myka, wrapped an arm around her, and resting her head on her shoulder.  Myka unfurled her own arm and held Claudia close.

They reached Helena’s room a few moments later.

Vanessa walked right in but the agents both stopped a few feet from the door.

Myka tightened her arm around Claudia as the girl tensed.

“I can’t go in there,” Claudia said.  “I can’t.  Not when she’s all… and with…”

She pulled away from Myka and wrapped her arms around herself.

“No, I can’t,” she murmured.  “I… I can’t.”

Myka stepped around Claudia so they were facing each other and put her hands on Claudia’s shoulders.

“If you don’t want to go in there, you don’t have to,” she told her.  “It’s your decision.  I just thought you would want to see her, so you know she’s okay.”

Claudia looked at her for a few moments, then her face hardened.  “I’ll try.”

“If it’s too much, don’t feel bad about needing to leave.”

Claudia nodded.  She raised her head, took a step forward, and froze again.

Myka instantly pressed against her side for support.  She pushed her own anxiety down as Claudia tensed up even further with each step.

They stopped again in Helena’s doorway.  Claudia’s fingers twisted around Myka’s shirt.  Her eyes locked onto the floor.

“Claudia.”

She looked up at the voice.

Helena was reclined slightly on a few pillows.  Her head was turned towards the door.  Her eyes were barely open, but were open nevertheless.  Vanessa stood next to her and had clearly told her who was at the door.

Still tense, Claudia stepped forward.  “How’re you feeling?”

Helena gave a small, painful smile.  “I must admit that I have felt better, but I have also felt worse.”

The tension drained from Claudia as she smiled as well.

-oOo-

Vanessa froze with her hand on the light switch.  The light from the hallway lit up the room just enough for her to see the gentle scene inside.

Helena was fast asleep – asleep, not unconscious – in her bed.  Myka was passed out in the chair next to the bed.  For once, however, she wasn’t curled up in the chair.  Instead, half of her torso was on Helena’s bed and her head was resting on her arms.  A book – not a  _Harry Potter_ book, Vanessa noted – lay next to Myka’s head.

Vanessa smiled and shook her head.

Helena had been awake for a few days and they were having a harder time pulling Myka away than before.  So far only Pete and Claudia had been successful; only for food, and only when Helena had been asleep.  Every time anyone else tried, Myka insisted that she needed to stay incase Helena woke up.

Everyone else had flowed through Helena’s room as she was still only allowed two visitors at a time.  Claudia was usually the second visitor, as if she was trying to make up for her refusal to visit before.  Any time Claudia wasn’t there, Pete was.  Pete tried to claim that he visited more for Myka’s support, but everyone knew that he had come to actually care for Helena.

Leena visited when she could.  She spent a lot of time at the Warehouse, however, sorting through the still numerous Warehouse 2 artifacts that needed shelving.  Artie had shown up a few times, mainly when transporting someone back and forth.  Steve had visited for the same reason.  He had come to pick up Claudia, and the girl had insisted that he meet Helena.

Even after years of working for the Warehouse, she had never seen a team so connected, so reminiscent of a family.

Vanessa let her hand fall from the switch.  She could get Helena’s stats using the hall light and there would be less chance of waking the women.

-oOo-

 “She nearly died for you.”

Helena wasn’t surprised when Pete spoke.  They had persuaded Myka to go fetch something to eat, but Pete had made the unprecedented decision to decline the promise of food.  It hadn’t been hard for Helena to figure out that he wanted to talk to her while Myka couldn’t hear.

If she was completely honest, the conversation topic wasn’t a surprise either.

“I am aware of that,” she told him.  The thought was constantly on her mind.  The noise of Myka’s crutches hit her hard.  The constant tired waver in Myka’s voice only reminded her of how Myka had fought to keep her strength in Egypt.

“I think she would die for you if it ever came to it,” Pete continued.  The slight pain and resentment was clear in his voice.

Helena took a deep breath.  “Regrettably, I think she would.  If only the honor belonged to someone more worthy.”

She could almost hear Pete bristle at her words.  “What?  Someone more worthy to die for you?”

“Someone more worthy of her sacrifice,” she shot back.  “Do you truly think that I believe myself worthy of her?  I am blessed by the mere fact that she gave me the chance to have a new life.  That she deems me worthy to be gifted the time of her day is overwhelming.  That she would place her life over my own…” she just shook her head, unable to put the feeling into words.  She should be imprisoned for her involvement in Myka’s pain; she should not be regarded so highly by the woman.

Pete was silent for a few moments.  “Maybe you’re more worthy than you give yourself credit for,” he finally said.

Helena gave a short laugh.  The man was clearly more foolish than she had thought if he believed that.  “If there is a soul in the world who is worthy of such regard from Myka, it certainly is not mine.”

“Maybe it’s because you believe that that makes you worthy.”

Helena’s head snapped in his direction.  “I do not believe it, I know it.”

“Good luck convincing her that.”

-oOo-

Helena gritted as the nurses hand gripped slightly too hard around her forearm in an attempt to help her into a wheelchair.  The pain wasn’t as bad as some she had felt before – her time unconscious seemed to have let her skip over the severe sensitivity – but it was still worse than it had been the month or so before Egypt.

That the woman did not appear to even care about the sensitivity did not help in the slightest.

A softer hand landed on her shoulder once she was settled in the wheelchair.  She did her best not to flinch under the touch, but the way the hand lifted slightly let her know that she had failed.

Since she had woken, Myka had carefully treaded the line of increasing their physical contact and being weary of Helena’s pain.  Helena had refused to push her away as she perfectly understood the need behind each of Myka’s touches.  She felt it herself; the desire for a reminder that Myka was still there, still alive.  Myka, however, always seemed to know when it was too much, which was more often than Helena was willing to admit.

She would also never admit to the second reason she moved away from Myka’s touch, at least never to Myka.  How would she explain anyway?  Explain that she simply was not worthy of such care?

“You ready?” Myka asked.  Her voice was soft and did nothing to sooth the turmoil in Helena.

“Exceedingly,” Helena replied.  She attempted to mask her true emotions, but feared she had failed.

Myka said nothing further and Helena knew she had caught the slip.

The chair started to move and the sound of Myka’s crutches – soon to be unnecessary, and Myka had excitedly told her early the same day – served as a reassurance that the woman was still there.

“You’re room’s ready.  Leena’s been prepping it all week.  The shelves are filled with Braille books.  We found an artifact buried deep in the Warehouse that translates any book to Braille, so your options are unlimited now.”

“And if the option I prefer is to continue allowing you to read to me?”

Despite her reserves, that was one thing she could not give up.  Myka had been reading from a collection of short stories Helena had read as a girl.  She didn’t know how Myka had found the book or if she even knew the significance behind it, but the way Myka’s voice wrapped around the words soothed the conflict that battled in Helena.

 “I’m not going to complain about it,” Myka responded with a happy lilt in her voice.

-oOo-

The soft rustle of paper underlay the words that filled the air and Helena could only imagine that Myka’s thumb must be flicking the poor corner of the page she was reading.  Myka’s voice flowed as she spun the tale of a man finding his own consciousness in a dystopian future in which doing so was outlawed.

She vaguely remembered Myka mentioning the book,  _Anthem_ , before everything had happened.  The premise had captured her fascination, but her mind currently lingered on another piece.

“What were you reading, when I first woke?” she asked, cutting across Myka’s words.

Myka stuttered to a stop.  Helena knew she had surprised her.  She typically allowed the passage to be finished before presenting her own thoughts.  For her to just jump in, let alone about something entirely different, was new.

“It was a children’s book published a few years ago,” Myka finally answered.  “The fifth in a series of seven.”

“Could you read those?” Helena slowly asked.

“Of course.”

-oOo-

Myka paused her reading.  She had just finished with the troll in the bathroom scene in  _Philosopher’s Stone_ , and something about it had impacted Helena.  She had tensed up about halfway through.

“Something’s bothering you, Helena,” Myka softly said.

Helena blinked a few times, but didn’t say anything.

“You can tell me,” Myka pushed.

“It’s entirely my fault,” Helena relented in a small voice.

Myka froze for a moment.  “What do you mean?”

Helena’s jaw clenched momentarily.  “Everything.  The entire mess with Warehouse 2.  Leena getting attacked.  Mrs. Fredric nearly passing.  You getting…” she trailed off.

Myka moved slightly closer to her.  She could see Helena tracking her motions.

“That was not your fault,” she said.  “That was MacPherson.”

“And where did he get his information?  From the research I completed in order to accomplish an even more heinous goal than his.”

“…What?”

“A part of the Minoan Trident was stored in Warehouse 2.  I found the other part while working at Warehouse 12 and put it somewhere I would be able to locate even after being bronzed.  It was a desperate plan reserved solely for the possibility that the world had gotten worse during my incarceration.”

“Helena…”

“No, Myka.”  Helena’s voice was harsh.  “If I hadn’t been so presumptuous to assume that I would be required to take on the roles of judge, jury, and executioner for the world, none of this would have happened.”

“You would still be bronzed.”  The softness of Myka’s voice contrasted with the roughness of Helena’s.

“Perhaps that would have been for the best.  What good has happened since my release?”

Her words felt like a physical blow.

“Is that really how you feel?”  Myka’s voice had shrunk even more.

“You were shot!  I don’t know if I can handle being the cause for any pain you feel.”

“What if I don’t care?”  She moved slightly closer to Helena’s bed.  “What if I think some pain is worth it, if it means I get to know you, get to –“

Helena’s eyebrows furrowed as Myka trailed off.  Myka took a deep breath to calm herself.

“To love you, Helena.”  Helena’s eyes widened, and her head turned towards Myka.  Myka’s heart sped up, but she pushed forward.  “Because that’s what’s happened.  I’ve fallen in love with you, and I will take as many bullets for you as I have to.”

“Please don’t.”  Helena’s voice had lost its rough edge and was nearly as small as Myka’s.

Myka fought her tears down.  She had been wrong.  “It’s not something I can just choose not to do.  I love you, Helena, regardless of how you may feel.”

 “You misunderstand me,” Helena said and she forced her torso to sit up straight.  “Myka, what I feel for you terrifies me.  I have only ever felt such a strong bond with Christina, and yet that was an entirely different feeling.  I fear, however, that regardless of how much love I hold for you, I do not come anywhere near worthy of your love.”

Myka’s heart skipped a beat.  “You…you love me?”

“It seems the fate have been cruel enough to allow me to fall for a goddess among women.  A goddess to whom I have only caused pain.”

“I’m no goddess.”

“But you are.  You have the most pure soul, the most beautiful essence of any person I have met, and yet you continue to insist that I, with my darkness and shattered being, am worthy.”

Myka didn’t respond for a few moments.  Her lower lip quivered slightly.  Tears silently slipped from her eyes.  The woman before her was more broken that she had thought.

She took a deep breath and rested her hand on the bed next to Helena’s.  The pinkie on Helena’s hand twitched slightly.

“Let me prove to you.  Let me show you that not only are you worthy, but that I wouldn’t care if you weren’t.

Slowly, she slipped her hand beneath Helena’s and tangled their fingers.

“Let me prove that the love we feel for each other is enough, and that nothing else matters.”

Helena gently squeezed her hand.  Myka couldn’t stop herself from lifting Helena’s hand and pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pieces that follow will be posted soon. Two have already been posted on tumblr and ff.net, but I want to post them in order here, so I'm going to wait until the other's have been written.


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